It's A Girls' World I Live In
by PrussianAwesomeness
Summary: De-anon from the Kink Meme - Matthew is the only male in a house full of girls. Between buying tampons, over protective sisters and the fact he's still mistaken for Alyssa, is he ever going to find love? Slice of lifeish AU FrUK, eventual PruCan, RusAme
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One:

"MATTHEW, WHERE IS MY BIKINI? KIKU CALLED AND WE'RE ALL GOING TO THE BEACH TOMORROW AND-"

"Mathieu, mon cher – do you know where my favourite thong is? I have a job interview coming up and I simply cannot wear this dress without it!"

"Matthew, would you be a dear and go to the store? Your bloody sister used all of the -"

"I DIDN'T USE UP ALL THE TAMPONS!"

"YES YOU DID – AND STOP YELLING!"

"BUT YOU'RE YELLING. JESUS, SIS, YOU'RE SUCH A HYPOCRITE."

"DON'T YOU DARE USE THAT TONE WITH ME, ALYSSA."

"Is it really necessary for you two to be yelling? You are giving me a headache!"

"Oh, sod off, Marianne – it's not like you're even doing any work around the house anyways."

"I don't think you realize it, but _cooking for the entire house counts as working around the house_! You are just jealous; you cannot cook nearly as well as I can."

"I can cook just as well, thank you very much!"

"Please, Elizabeth; do not insult me by lowering my cooking to your awful standards."

"Why you little—"

"I STILL CAN'T FIND MY BIKINI, MATTIE."

"WILL YOU STOP YELLING?"

"MAYBE IF YOU STOP, I'LL STOP."

"Honestly, Marianne, I have no idea where that girl gets her stubbornness from! Someone needs to discipline her!"

"Why don't you?"

"Because she never listens to me!"

"MATTIEEEEEE I STILL NEED MY BIIIKIIINIII I THOUGHT YOU DID THE LAUNDRY YESTERDAY!"

"MAYBE IF YOU DID THE LAUNDRY INSTEAD OF FORCING YOUR POOR BROTHER TO, YOU WOULDN'T BE IN THIS PREDICAMENT!"

"SCREW OFF, LIZ; I WASN'T EVEN TALKING TO YOU!"

"HOW DARE YOU USE THAT TONE WITH ME? MATTHEW, GET ME A COAT HANGER – I'M ABOUT TO DISCIPLINE YOUR SISTER THE WAY MOTHER USED TO DO IT!"

"THAT'S CHILD ABUSE – I'M CALLING CHILD SERVICES! YOU'RE NOT EVEN ALLOWED TO HIT ME 'CAUSE YOU AREN'T MOM!"

"ALYSSA E. KIRKLAND, DON'T YOU _DARE_ TOUCH THAT PHONE!"

"MATTIEEE WHERE'S MY BIKINI?"

"MATTHEW, WHERE _ARE_ YOU?"

"MATTIE!"

Matthew Kirkland exchanged looks with his puppy, Kumajiro, as his sisters continued to scream his name.

"Think they'll find me?" he asked the dog. The puppy cocked his head to the side, as though he didn't know who Matthew was.

"MATTHEW KIRKLAND, PLEASE COME DOWN HERE THIS INSTANT!" his older sister called out from downstairs.

"YEAH, MATTIE – COME ON!" his little sister, Alyssa, shrieked. It was funny how similar the two were like – though they'd never admit it.

"I'll give them five more minutes. Maybe they'll scream themselves hoarse," Matthew whispered to Kumajiro.

There were footsteps outside and Matthew froze as the door slid open. "Mathieu? What are you doing in here?" Marianne Bonnefoy, his older sister's girlfriend [though she would never call her that out loud], asked curiously, her eyes flickering towards the dirty pile of laundry Matthew was sitting on.

Matthew flushed, standing up. "Just looking for Kumajiro," Matthew lied quickly, swooping down and taking the puppy into his arms. Marianne moved away so Matthew could walk out of his closet and close its door, setting Kumajiro down so the puppy could run off and leap onto his bed to fall asleep.

"Oh really?" Marianne asked, her eyebrow raised. "You weren't doing anything else in there?" she asked, a mischievous glint in her eye.

"What? O-oh, no," Matthew said with a flush, realizing what the older girl was implying. "I was just looking for Kumajiro before he peed on my clothes – really," he added as Marianne smirked.

"Please, you're talking to the woman whose best friends are both boy, I know all the excuses. It's alright if you feel the need to look at pictures of naked women – though," she added, glancing at the place Matthew emerged from, "since you just came out of a _closet_ I doubt it's pictures of _women_ you were looking at..."

"I'm not gay!" Matthew protested, his cheeks now glowing red as Marianne laughed.

"Okay," she said, patting his head in an 'I think it's cute you're in denial still' sort of way.

"But I'm not!" Matthew protested, feeling the urge to slam his face into a wall repeatedly. Third time that day Marianne had questioned his sexuality. Really, was it so hard to believe he liked girls? Just because his underwear was pink [after an incident with Alyssa and the washing machine, hence the reason why Matthew was the main clothes washer of the house] and he still got mistaken for Alyssa [he blamed his long blonde hair that really was in need of a cut], didn't mean he was gay!

"Pity – Gilbert always thought you were cute," Marianne mused to herself.

"Wait...what?" Matthew asked, staring at her. Marianne blinked, looking flustered.

"Did I say that out loud? Whoops, silly me – you should go downstairs before your sister does something rash; you know she and Alyssa can't survive in a room alone together," Marianne covered up quickly, ushering Matthew toward the door. Matthew shrugged the older woman's arms off of him and went downstairs, already hearing his sisters yelling at each other from opposite ends of the living room.

"WHY CAN'T I GO TO THE BEACH? KIKU'S GOING TO BE THERE AND HE'S VERY RESPONSIBLE!" Alyssa roared, red in the face with anger.

Elizabeth Kirkland, their older sister [and technically their guardian now that Matthew and Alyssa no longer lived with their parents], was even redder in the face as her green eyes [that she had inherited from their father] flashed dangerously. Matthew decided it was best to intervene now before his older sister's face turned purple and her head exploded.

"THAT'S PRECISELY WHY – THERE WILL BE BOYS THERE AND I DON'T FEEL COMFORTABLE LETTING YOU WEAR BARELY ANYTHING AND—oh there you are, Matthew – took you long enough," Elizabeth said, calmly down considerably as Matthew entered the living room.

"Sorry, I was looking for Kumajiro," Matthew apologized meekly as Marianne floated in behind him, walking towards his older sister and putting her arms around the younger woman. Elizabeth flushed, trying to shake off Marianne's hands.

"Mattie, where's my bikini? I need it if I'm going to the beach tomorrow!" Alyssa exclaimed, rushing over to her older brother.

"You _aren't_ going to the beach tomorrow," Elizabeth growled.

"Shh, Elizabeth, don't make your blood pressure rise," Marianne said soothingly, rubbing Elizabeth's arms.

"I already promised Kiku I'd go!" Alyssa protested.

"Well you'll just have to call back and tell him you can't go," Elizabeth replied coldly. Alyssa's jaw dropped open and Matthew sensed another fight brewing.

"That's not _fair!_ Why can't I go?" Alyssa demanded angrily.

"I've already _told_ you, Alyssa, I don't want you wearing a skimpy bikini in a public area where there will be boys!" Elizabeth exclaimed.

"But that's where you're _supposed_ to wear bikinis! Honestly, sis, if it weren't for the fact you're dating Marianne I'd ask you how the hell you get laid, since you're such a freakin' _prude_!" Alyssa retorted angrily.

There was fire in Elizabeth's eyes and that was when Matthew knew it was his cue to step in.

"I'll go with Alyssa and make sure nothing happens to her," Matthew said quickly before their older sister could start yelling [and possibly throwing things; things tended to get broken very easily whenever there was an argument in the Kirkland household]. "No guy would try anything on Alyssa knowing her brother's there," he added, knowing fully well he was spouting out bullshit. As if any guy cared if Matthew was there to protect Alyssa; most of the time, they never even noticed the boy.

"Are you sure?" Elizabeth asked, the fire dying away quickly [honestly, was the girl bipolar? How could she go from calm to angry to calm again in under a second?] as she turned to back her younger brother.

Matthew shrugged. "It's not like I had anything to do tomorrow anyways," he said. Besides, Lars would probably be there and the two of them could spend the day checking out girls [they had it all very nicely sorted out; any older women were Matthew's, any younger girls were Lars' – neither of them wanted the girls their age] and smoking weed. It could prove to be a fun day.

Elizabeth took a deep breath in and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Fine," she said finally, making Alyssa squeal with excitement, "you can go – but I don't want you doing anything stupid and going off where Matthew can't see you. Mum and Dad didn't make me your legal guardian just so you could go gallivanting off and having dirty trysts with-"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Mattie, I can't find my bikini? Are you sure you washed it 'cause I checked my closet and-"

"It's in your underwear drawer with all your clean underwear," Matthew interrupted calmly, rolling his eyes as Alyssa ran off without even saying a thank you.

"Oh Mathieu, do you know where my—"

"In the basement on the table; I didn't fold your laundry yet," Matthew said, and he had good reason why he hadn't. Out of all the women who lived in the house, Marianne's clothes were the most awkward to deal with, most of them ranging from frilly pink underwear to lingerie to very revealing outfits. Matthew's ears turned pink just thinking of folding those clothes.

Marianne smiled. "Thank you, cher," she said, sauntering out of the living room.

Elizabeth let out an awkward cough, making Matthew glance back at her. "I have a paper due tomorrow and I was wondering if you could...well...if you could buy..."

"You want me to buy tampons?" Matthew asked, surprised at how easily he could say the word now. A few months ago, he wasn't even able to say the first syllable without turning bright red [much to the amusement of Alyssa and Marianne].

Elizabeth turned red, looking away from Matthew. "If it wouldn't be too much trouble; I-I would do it myself but..."

"It's alright, I'm fine with it," Matthew said.

Elizabeth let out a breath of air. "Thank you, Matthew...I really appreciate it," she said, still looking slightly pink.

"You're welcome," Matthew replied, grabbing his keys and walking out of the house before Elizabeth could make the situation even more awkward.

Outside, the sun was shining; birds were singing, angry drivers were blasting their horns, swearing at one another to move. Scary looking ghetto men played their dangerous sounding music as they drove by, the ground shaking from where they had past.

Matthew took in a deep breath. Ah yes, silence. Quite the contrast from his household.

Matthew hadn't always been the only boy in the household; once upon a time all three of them lived with their parents and many older brothers in a large house outside of the city. With such a large family, it wasn't a surprise to Matthew that he tended to blend in with the curtains, the louder children like Alyssa getting most of the attention. He didn't really mind much; it meant he was safe from his older brothers' bullying.

Elizabeth had moved out into the city a few years ago, citing she could not study for her university exams in a household akin to a zoo. Their parents, being fairly wealthy, bought her a little house to live in, that wasn't too far away from Alyssa's and Matthew's high school. Feeling like a change of scenery would be best for him, Matthew begged his parents to let him stay with Elizabeth; he being the only brother Elizabeth could tolerate for long period of time, Elizabeth agreed to take him in and so Matthew spent his sophomore year living happily in a quiet little house away from their noisy family.

And then Alyssa moved in a few months later, claiming she missed her favourite siblings and that their older brothers were overbearing and overprotective – something Alyssa didn't appreciate as she began her experimentation with boys. Again, with much begging, Elizabeth agreed to take care of Alyssa and the three of them lived happily. Not quietly, but happily.

And then Marianne moved in. That had been the biggest surprise of it all; Marianne had been a good friend of Matthew's ever since she used to babysit him and Alyssa when they were ten. Marianne and Elizabeth never liked each other – so the fact that they were _dating_ was the biggest surprise of all – but both had a soft spot towards Matthew. She had moved into their little house at least two years ago and Matthew _still_ hadn't heard his sister refer to the other [older] woman as her girlfriend. That didn't stop their nightly rumps, however, Matthew thought with a shudder. It was a surprise he and Alyssa still had their sanity.

As Matthew walked into the convenience store, the cold gust of air conditioned air hit him like godsend, cooling Matthew down from the summer heat immensely. He quickly grabbed a basket and took to shopping, slightly disturbed how he already knew where to find the feminine hygiene products.

Matthew walked down the aisle and looked around, on alert for anyone who could recognize him.

"There we go," he muttered to himself triumphantly, seizing the _Always_ pack for Elizabeth and dropping it in the basket. He paused and then grabbed the box of tampons nearby; Alyssa and Marianne would appreciate that, judging from all the thongs they tended to wear [Matthew inwardly shuddered just thinking of it].

Grabbing himself a chocolate bar, Matthew set the packages down on the check-out line.

"Good evening, Matvey," Katyusha, Matthew's friend Ivan's [totally hot (but in a relationship so completely bounds – though technically she was always out of bounds due to the bro code and such)] older sister, greeted cheerfully.

"Hey Katy – didn't know you worked here," Matthew said in surprise.

Katyusha nodded. "I normally do the weekend shifts but Antonio is sick," she replied.

"Must be why the line's moving so fast," Matthew said casually and hoped he sounded remotely cool.

It was then that Katyusha noticed what Matthew was buying. Her face turned pink and she let out a giggle. "I didn't know you used these," she teased.

Crap; Matthew had forgotten about the pads and tampons. "They're for my sisters," he protested, turning pink.

Katyusha giggled again, accepting Matthew's money and handing him his bag. "Have a happy period – I mean, day," she teased, still giggling.

Matthew let out a fake laugh and took the bags, practically running out of the store, his face a dark red.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: The Kink Meme request was: "Any member of the FACE family being the only male, and the rest women. Whether it be a 'parent' (England or France) or one of the North American's is up to anon, and them dealing with being the only male in the house/family.**

**Throw in having to deal with a house full of estrogen, giving shotgun talks, prom night, having to buy lady products, frilly underwear all over the place, and other types of hilarity anon can come up with.**

**Any pairings anon wishes to throw in is welcomed as long as FACE is still there. (England and France don't necessarily need to be in a romantic relationship even, anon could make them related in some way. This anon doesn't mind!) :"**

**It was originally supposed to be a small one-shot but then I started having insane loads of fun writing the universe and developing the relationships between the characters and BAM. It's at eight chapters right now. I've been writing this for a month; which is why my other stories haven't been updated 8D **

**Please review? If I get enough reviews, I'll post the next chapter tomorrow~**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two:

"I'm betting she's twelve."

"Nah. Her tits are just beginning to show – I'll say thirteen."

"You're really fucking creepy, you know that?" Matthew told Lars with disgust, blowing out the smoke of...whatever it was he was smoking. Matthew couldn't really remember anymore.

"Then why do you hang out with me?" Lars asked, lowering his sunglasses to give the thirteen year old girl a wink.

"You give me weed and shit," Matthew said with a shrug.

"Touché," Lars replied.

They sat in silence, the screams of Alyssa and her friends reaching over to them.

Lars glanced at the other group as he took another puff on his cigarette. "Your sister's pretty hot," he remarked.

"Fuck you," came the reply.

Lars chuckled. "Nah, she's too old for my taste. I wouldn't go for her. You know who else is too old for my liking but still totally hot? Louise Beilschmidt."

"Big tits," Matthew agreed appreciatively.

"Supple and firm," Lars added. "Pity she's such a priss – and that Gilbert would fuck us up if we tried anything," he continued.

"Apparently he thinks I'm cute," Matthew remarked.

Lars snorted. "That's 'cause you are. You look like an adorable, flat-chested twelve year old," he replied. He paused. "Actually, I kinda want to fuck you now," he remarked.

Matthew scowled, punching Lars in the arm. "Shut the fuck up," he growled.

Lars laughed; shaking his arm like Matthew didn't hurt him [though he totally did]. "So how are things in the brothel?" he asked innocently.

"You are such an asshole," Matthew growled, glaring at the other boy.

"No, but seriously; how's it like at home?" Lars asked.

"Since when did you care?" Matthew demanded.

"Since I decided we should make small talk," Lars replied.

"They're alright, I guess. How's your whore?" Matthew asked, reaching over to the cooler for a can of coke [he and Lars liked smoking crazy shit and drinking coke because to them, it sounded punny].

"How dare you – Elise is not a whore," Lars said, looking offended.

"How come you're allowed to call my home a brothel and I can't call your sister a whore?" Matthew demanded.

"Because I'm a giant dick; you're supposed to be the adorable softie who likes talking about his feelings and shit like that; that's why we work so well together. Opposites attract; hot and cold, yes and no, in and out, up and down, wrong and right, black and white, boy and girl-ow!" Lars exclaimed as Matthew punched again, harder this time.

"I'm not a girl – and you totally just quoted Katy Perry," Matthew pointed out.

"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't," Lars replied with a sniff.

"Pussy."

"The fact you recognized that that was Katy Perry makes you a pussy too."

"Touché."

"So...any girl and/or boy you've got your eyes on?" Lars asked conversationally.

"Are you making small talk again?" Matthew asked warily.

"I kinda have to. I don't know if you realize this, Mattie, but we're the calmest fucking potheads ever. I'm bored. D'you wanna come to my house later? There's a Jersey Shore marathon on tonight; we can play a drinking game – whenever someone swears we can take a shot. It'll be fun," Lars asked.

"What about taking a shot whenever someone says something stupid?" Matthew asked.

Lars shook his head. "We'd be trashed before the first commercial break; I'm not suicidal, dude," Lars replied. "So, you in?" he asked.

"Nah. I gotta go home and do the laundry. Besides," Matthew said, glancing out into the water, where Mathias Køhler was carrying Alyssa, who was giggling and screaming to be put down, smacking the Dane's ass to accentuate her request, "Liz is going to flip her shit when Al gets home and since Marianne's gonna back Liz up, I might as well be there for Al," Matthew said, shrugging.

"Why would Marianne backup Liz? Doesn't she support being flamboyant and slutty?" Lars asked.

Matthew shrugged again. "Liz lets her top; it's the least Marianne can do."

"Hot?" Lars asked, still puffing on his cigarette.

"Not when it's your sister and former babysitter," Matthew replied.

"Gross," Lars agreed. "Well maybe you can come over after World War III?" he suggested.

Matthew shrugged. "I gotta help Marianne make dinner; Al and Liz aren't allowed in after the Christmas episode of '09," Matthew replied.

"I remember that; it was pretty epic, not gonna lie," Lars said.

Matthew made a face. "It was traumatizing," he replied.

"That too," Lars agreed. "I should stay over," he said suddenly.

"Why?" Matthew asked in confusion.

Lars shrugged. "Your house sounds like more fun than mind. And maybe I can bang Aly-"

"Go back to watching prepubescent little girls."

"You make me sound like a pedo."

"That's 'cause you are one."

"Bitch."

"Jerk."

And that was the end of their conversation for a good while. The two smoked in silence, letting the cool breeze blow past them, Matthew smirking as Lars desperately tried to keep his hair still.

"Psycho-bitch, three o'clock," Lars said suddenly, nudging in that direction with his head. Matthew looked up to see Natalia Arlovskaya walking along the shoreline.

"Psycho-bitch's wearing next to nothing," Matthew commented appreciatively.

"She's got her sister's tits," Lars agreed.

"Pity Gilbert and Mathias are busy partying with my sister and her friends; we could've had more hot girl commentary," Matthew said. "At least then I wouldn't have to listen to you talking about your paedophilic hard-on," he added, leaning away so Lars couldn't punch him.

"You're a terrible friend," Lars said, with mock-offense. "Go suck Mathias' and Gilbert's cocks then, if I'm too boring for you," he said with a sniff.

"Want me to find a five year old to suck yours?" Matthew teased.

"You're an ass," Lars growled.

Eventually, Gilbert noticed the two of them from his hiding spot under a beach umbrella and ran over, leaping on top of Matthew and stealing his coke.

"Sup bitches?" he asked cheerfully, emptying the can and crushing it on top of Matthew's head.

"Get the fuck off, Gilbert," Matthew howled as the albino's elbow dug into his stomach.

"What's the word?" Gilbert teased, sprawling out on top of Matthew.

"He'll give you a blow job," Lars said.

"Deal," Gilbert said, rolling off of Matthew onto the sand.

"Sex with a minor is illegal," Matthew pointed out. Gilbert was a year younger than Marianne; twenty-three. The only reason he was even in the city was because his university finished up and didn't start up again until a few months later.

"You're only a minor until July," Gilbert replied.

"You're just as bad as Lars – why are all my friends pedos?" Matthew asked to no one in particular.

"You're just not very good at making friends," Lars replied. "So you're stuck with us."

Before Matthew could retort that he was very capable of making friends other than those two, the three boys heard a giggle from behind them.

"Don't be so mean to Mattie, Lars," Elise, Lars' little sister, chided good-naturedly as she moved into their line of vision, clad only in a bikini.

"Matt knows I didn't mean it," Lars replied, looking embarrassed as Gilbert and Matthew smirked.

"Oh I dunno man, you hurt my feelings," Matthew said, scrunching his face up to look upset.

"Now look what you've done!" Elise exclaimed, rushing over to Matthew and throwing her arms around him, forcing Matthew to get a face full of her chest. She winked at Lars and petted Matthew's head, the boy quite happy where he was at that moment. "Feel better now?" she asked, finally lifting Matthew's head off of her chest.

Matthew took in a gulp of air, his face slightly flushed. "Much better," he said, feeling Lars' glare on his back. Elise giggled and stood up.

"Well, mom said to pick me up; I'll be over there if you need me. Nice seeing you guys!" Elise said, already starting to walk away.

"What, no hug for me?" Gilbert protested, looking jealous.

Elise turned back and winked. "I don't hug creepy old guys," she teased, skipping off.

"I'm not that old!" Gilbert exclaimed, looking very miffed.

"Sucks for you. Just for the record: Elise has very soft breasts," Matthew said cheerfully.

"Were they supple?" Gilbert asked excitedly.

"Stop talking about my sister like that, douchebags," Lars growled threateningly.

"Oh, but you can talk about fucking Al?" Matthew demanded.

"Bro, I'd fuck Al too; everyone would. She's pretty hot," Gilbert said defensively.

"Exactly," Lars said triumphantly.

"But Elise, no offense Matt, is hotter. I'd fuck her and then ask her to make me waffles for breakfast," Gilbert continued.

"Well since we're sharing our feelings about each other's sisters, I'll mention here that Matt thinks your sister has nice tits," Lars blurted out.

There was a silence as Gilbert turned to glare at Matthew. Matthew blinked, feeling slightly horrified [and betrayed, God, Lars was an ass] at the look Gilbert was giving him.

"Well, Lars thinks her tits are supple and firm," Matthew countered and Lars let out an undignified squawk.

"Traitor!" Lars exclaimed as Gilbert tackled him to the ground.

"You started it!" Matthew replied as Lars tried to escape Gilbert. Fighting was Gilbert's forte, after all.

"Why can't you beat up Mattie instead?" Lars protested, finally managing to kick his way out of Gilbert's headlock.

"Because," Gilbert said, pushing Matthew slightly so he can sit on Matthew's chair with him, "Matthew is adorable."

"I thought you liked girls," Lars huffed, nursing a particularly gross looking bruise.

"Bisexual's the way to go," Gilbert cheered, ruffling Matthew's hair absently. Matthew flushed as the other boy leaned against him; Gilbert's bare chest touching Matthew's bare back felt odd and made him feel squeamish.

After that very eventful mini-fight, the three fell into silence, Gilbert leaning over to steal Lars' cigarette [his chest brushing against Matthew again (oh God Matthew could feel Gilbert's nipples why were they hard and why did it make him feel so weird)] and Matthew still trying to get some space between him and Gilbert.

"Wanna sabotage some family's barbeque and steal their food?" Gilbert suggested finally, breaking the comfortable silence.

"I'm down," Lars said, putting out his cigarette. "What about you?" he asked Matthew.

Feeling hungry, Matthew opened his mouth to agree.

"MAATTTTIEEEEEEE~!" Alyssa shrieked from the other end of the beach. "MARIANNE SAYS WE SHOULD COME HOME NOW BECAUSE SHE WANTS YOU TO PUT YOUR FRILLY PINK APRON ON AND HELP HER IN THE KITCHEN!" she continued.

Matthew's face turned a bright red as Gilbert and Lars, joining the teens who were with Alyssa, burst into laughter.

"Fuck you all," Matthew growled, standing up and pushing Gilbert off of his chair, taking it and setting off. He paused and turned back, taking the beach umbrella with him.

"No, not the umbrella!" Gilbert howled as sunlight finally hit his pale skin. "How will I survive?"

"Sunscreen and your own umbrella," Matthew replied, pointing to Gilbert's abandoned beach umbrella before huffily walking away, trying to ignore Mathias' rambunctious laugh as he walked by Alyssa's friends. God, why did they only notice him after Alyssa humiliated him?

"Have fun?" Alyssa asked Matthew cheerfully as he stuffed their beach things in the trunk of his car, the girl already in the shotgun seat of his open roofed Mustang.

"Lovely," Matthew replied with an eye roll, pulling out of the parking lot and to the road that would take them home. But really, Matthew meant it; being around women twenty-four/seven made him relish dicking around with Lars and Gilbert [Mathias used to be part of their Awesome group before he broke the Bro Code and slept with Elise and Alyssa and hit on Louise. He was subsequently banished from their group of awesome from then on] or eating ice cream with Se_ñ_or Martinez [though being mistaken for Alyssa _every single time_ did get annoying sometimes] or even playing hockey with Ivan, Tino and Svea [the only girl who could actually almost beat Matthew in hockey].

As Matthew and Alyssa made their way into the house, Matthew could already hear Marianne in the kitchen, setting up pots and pans to start cooking dinner. He'd take a quick shower and then go help her out, Matthew decided.

"Maybe it wasn't a good idea to not change into something else before coming in," Alyssa whispered suddenly, brandishing at her barely there bikini. Matthew was sure the bottom piece was a thong though he had no intentions of checking to see for himself.

"Oh good, you're home," Elizabeth said pleasantly, a university textbook in her hands as she came to help Matthew put the beach things away. The moment she got sight of Alyssa however, the smile on Elizabeth's face faded.

"Hi, Liz," Alyssa said meekly with a hand wave. Elizabeth's face turned a dark purple.

"WHAT IN GOD'S NAME ARE YOU WEARING?" Elizabeth shrieked.

And thus started World War III.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Just for clarification, Elizabeth is 21, Marianne is 24, Matthew and Lars [Netherlands] and Mathias [Denmark] and Natalia are all 17, Alyssa Kiku Elise [Belgium] and Louise [Fem!Germany] are 16. Oh, and Gilbert's 23, but I think I've mentioned that. Tino, Svea [Fem!Sweden] and Ivan are 17 as well.**

**Matt and Lars [and Gilbert to an extent] talk exactly like the boys I know. Lord, I have no idea how many times the word 'tits' were used in this chapter. **

**Oh and Lars isn't really pedophilic. I'll explain this better later on in this story but it's more of an inside joke between him and his friends. **

**Please review? I'm incredibly fond of this story [for some reason, I still haven't gotten writers' block for this story, which to me is _magical_] and I'd love to hear what you guys think about it~ feel free to ask any questions if you're confused about something :D **


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three:

_Marianne - Fem!France_

_Elizabeth - Fem!England_

_Alyssa - Fem!America_

_Svea - Fem!Sweden_

_Lars - Netherlands_

_Mathias - Denmark_

_Louise - Fem!Germany_

* * *

><p>"YES, CROSBY!" Matthew howled, leaping to his feet with a cheer. "I knew you could do it!"<p>

"Was there any doubt Crosby would get it in?" Tino asked curiously from the couch, his arm casually around Svea's shoulders.

"No, of course not. I'm still happy," Matthew replied, sitting down next to Tino.

"Sidney's a good player," Ivan agreed from Matthew's left, his scarf still curiously on, despite it being forty degrees Celsius outside.

Matthew, Ivan, Tino and Svea were anxiously watching the hockey game, all of them rooting for the same team [which was probably smart since all of them were insanely violent when it came to hockey].

"Hey what time is it, by the way?" Tino said suddenly, as the game went to commercial break.

"Ten, I think," Matthew said, taking a chug from his can of coke. Thanks to Alyssa and her eternal addiction to coca-cola they always had an infinite amount at his house. "Why?" he asked curiously.

Before Tino could reply, there was a shriek from upstairs.

"Was that your sister?" Tino asked, looking surprised.

"Yeah..." Matthew said, wondering if he should go see what was up.

"!" they heard Alyssa shriek.

"I think she wants you," Ivan said rather obviously.

Matthew sighed as the game came back on TV. He _really_ hated missing any second of a hockey game.

"I guess I should go talk to her," he began to say, just as Alyssa came running into the room.

"Mattie!" Alyssa exclaimed, running in front of the TV. Tino, Svea and Ivan made noises of protest as she refused to budge.

"What's wrong now, Al?" Matthew asked wearily, standing up and gently pushing Alyssa away from the TV.

"It's ten," she told him seriously.

"Yes, I'm aware of that," Matthew replied, looking mystified.

"You remember the TV schedule?" she prompted. Oh yes, the TV schedule that Marianne had created after Elizabeth nearly mauled Alyssa [Elizabeth wanted to watch Merlin, Alyssa wanted to watch American Idol; shit went down].

"Yeah, so?" Matthew asked.

"You remember that ten o'clock is when I watch Jersey Shore, right?" Alyssa said and Matthew felt his heart sink. Nothing got between Alyssa and Jersey Shore – _nothing_.

"But the game!" Matthew protested.

"The TV schedule is to be followed at all times," Alyssa said, doing an impressive imitation of Marianne's voice.

"Can't you watch at Lovina's house?" Matthew demanded. "She watches Jersey Shore too, right?"

"I'm not allowed at Lovina's house anymore," Alyssa said, looking embarrassed. "I told her that Mike reminded me of Antonio and she kicked me out."

"Why would you tell her that?" Matthew asked, feeling exasperated. Lovina Vargas was not a girl to be crossed.

"Be_cause_ Mike's like almost thirty and he hits on twenty-one year old girls and stuff and Antonio's like the same age as Marianne and Lovina's my age and they're dating and that's just _creepy_," Alyssa said defensively.

"You deserved that," Matthew told her.

"Oh come on – Lovina just can't take a joke! Now gimme the remote and let me watch Jersey Shore in peace! I need to know what's up between Pauly and Deena!" Alyssa exclaimed.

"What's up between Pauly and Deena?" Matthew asked in spite of himself.

"Made out," Svea said suddenly. Matthew, Ivan and Tino turned to stare at the only other girl in the room. Svea flushed, looking embarrassed.

"Oh my _gosh,_ Svea, you watch Jersey Shore too?" Alyssa asked excitedly, leaping to the couch beside Svea.

"I didn't you liked watching stuff like that, Svea," Tino said, looking surprised. Svea shrugged.

"It's funny," she replied.

"It _is_! And whenever there's drama and stuff like with Jwoww and Sammi beating each other up 'cause Sammi's an uber big bitch it's soooo addicting!" Alyssa agreed.

"Sammi should go away," Svea remarked and Alyssa nodded eagerly, reaching over and grabbing the remote from Tino's hands and changing the channel.

"I should probably go now," Ivan said, standing up with disgust as the theme song to Jersey Shore began to play. "Perhaps I can catch the rest of the game at my home," he added.

"I'd come with you but I think Elizabeth would pitch a fit since it's getting late," Matthew said with a sigh.

"Nice seeing you, Alyssa," Ivan said politely to Alyssa as he crossed the living room.

"Yeah, yeah, same here I guess," Alyssa said, her eyes glued on the television set.

"You look nice today," Ivan remarked, standing awkwardly by the entranceway.

"Yeah thanks – wait, what?" Alyssa asked, tearing her eyes from the TV to stare at Ivan.

"You do; I am surprised at how curvy your body actually is," Ivan said cheerfully. Tino and Matthew exchanged looks. Ivan and Alyssa had never gotten along, the two of them arguing and fighting nearly as much as Marianne and Elizabeth did.

"Oh...thanks, I guess," Alyssa said, looking surprised.

"I always thought you had the build of a man, but clearly your sluttish outfit says otherwise," Ivan continued, still sounding very cheerful. Matthew had to turn his face away to stop the smirk growing on his face. Now _that_ was the Ivan Matthew was used to.

"_What_ did you say?" Alyssa asked menacingly, rising to her feet. For a girl, Alyssa was incredibly strong, so Matthew took this as his cue to usher Ivan out of the house. Last time the two were in the same room together, Elizabeth's favourite glass unicorn figurine had been smashed and it took Alyssa seven months to get Elizabeth to forgive her. Matthew didn't want a repeat of last time.

"Okay, bye, Ivan!" Matthew said, shutting the door as Ivan waved and began to walk away. Precisely eight seconds after, the door swung open again as Marianne came into the house with grocery bags, Gilbert, Antonio and Louise following her, Louise looking remarkably confused.

"Why are we here, Gilbert?" she asked as Marianne handed the bags to Matthew and told him to put them away for her.

Gilbert shrugged. "I'm hungry and Marianne's about to make dinner. Vati said I can't leave you alone in the house with no food so I took you along. What's so confusing about that?" he asked.

"I could've gone to Feliciano's house, you know," Louise reminded him, noticing Matthew about to fall over from the immense amount of shopping bags and grabbed a few before Matthew dropped them.

"Trust me, Louise, you wouldn't want to get between Feliciano and Lovina when they're watching Jersey Shore," Antonio said with a shudder, following Matthew, Marianne, Louise and Gilbert into the kitchen.

Gilbert nodded his agreement, sitting down casually at the dining table, his feet resting on the table. "It felt safer bringing you here," he added, not bothering to help the others as they began to put Marianne's groceries away.

Matthew put away a box of cookies, wondering what Marianne was thinking about making for tonight's dinner. Because Marianne's part-time shift at the restaurant ended late, the Kirkland household typically had dinner fairly later than most families, none of them really wanting to make their own dinners and preferring to just wait for Marianne to come home.

"Tino and Svea are here," Matthew informed Marianne as she passed by him with a pot. "Do you want me to ask them if they're staying over for dinner?"

"Oui," Marianne replied, turning on the stove. "And tell Elizabeth to stop studying and entertain our guests," she added, smacking Gilbert's hand lightly after she caught him trying to steal the box of cookies Matthew had put away. "I can't work with distractions!" she exclaimed.

"Al's in the living room," Matthew informed Gilbert and Louise. Gilbert, taking a hint for once in his life, left the kitchen toward the living room, where Matthew could hear Alyssa loudly greet Gilbert and invite him to join their TV watching.

Louise stayed in her spot, biting her lip hesitantly.

"Err, you can go too, if you like," Matthew said hesitantly to her. Louise Beilschmidt was always difficult to talk to; spending years dealing with people like Alyssa and Gilbert as well as people with quick tempers like Elizabeth and Lovina _and_ perverts like Marianne and Mathias, Matthew wasn't sure how to deal with polite, quiet Louise. To be frank, her politeness almost intimidated Matthew.

Louise shook her hair, brushing one small stray strand of hair away from her face. "It's alright; I'll stay here and help," Louise said quickly.

"You don't have to do that," Matthew protested. "You're a guest here."

Louise shrugged. "It's the least I can do," she replied. "I can clean up after you guys; I'm very good at that," she suggested.

"No, you don't have-"

"Merci beaucoup, Louise; we really appreciate it," Marianne cut it, giving Matthew a 'honestly-you're-too-polite-for-your-own-good-she-wants-to-do-the-boring-work-so-let-her' look.

"Yeah, we do," Matthew echoed, still feeling guilty.

Elizabeth walked into the kitchen just then, looking confused. "Why is Gilbert in our living room, yelling at what appears to be overly tanned women in skimpy outfits?" she asked curiously.

"I invited him over," Marianne replied, leaning backwards to give Elizabeth a quick kiss on the cheek. Elizabeth flushed and pushed Marianne away, noticing the other three people in the room.

"And why is Antonio here?" Elizabeth asked, glancing at Antonio. Elizabeth and Antonio never really got along too well; according to Marianne, the two spent their childhood bullying each other and getting into fist fights. Adulthood seemed to mellow the two's relationship, but Matthew knew that they were prone to arguing every so often.

"I'm helping Marianne cook~!" Antonio replied cheerfully.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes, moving away so Antonio could get to the stove. She stared at Louise, who looked embarrassed to be standing in the kitchen.

"And who are you?" Elizabeth asked curiously. Her eyes widened. "Are you Matthew's girlfriend?" she asked eagerly.

"W-what? No!" Louise exclaimed, her face turning red. Matthew's face turned red as well.

"She's Gilbert's sister, Louise," Matthew said quickly.

Elizabeth blushed, looking flustered. "O-oh, I'm so sorry, Louise. I honestly didn't know," she apologized awkwardly.

"It's alright," Louise said, still very red. "I should go see what bruder's up to," she added quickly and practically ran out of the kitchen.

"Eliza_beth_," Matthew groaned once Louise was out of earshot.

"I'm sorry!" Elizabeth exclaimed. "All I see is you talking to some girl who I've never seen before – it was an honest mistake!"

"You still embarrassed me," Matthew muttered, stalking towards the living room to ask if Tino and Svea were staying for dinner.

"As fun as that would be, we should really get going," Tino apologized, standing up. Svea nodded, brushing a strand of her long blonde hair away from her face.

"Alright then. See you later?" Matthew asked, walking the pair to the door.

"Yup. Bye!" Tino said. Svea waved at Matthew and the two walked out into the night; Matthew shut the door quickly before mosquitoes could get in.

"We should have Svea over more, she's so jokes," Alyssa remarked as Matthew went to report to Marianne that Tino and Svea weren't staying for dinner.

"And she's really hot," Gilbert added from his spot on the armchair.

Louise shot him a disgusted look. "She's much younger than you and already in a committed relationship. Must you always objectify every woman you see?" she demanded.

"Yeah, Gil – what if people objectified Lou? How would you like that?" Alyssa asked.

Gilbert shot Matthew a dirty glare. "I would hate that, a _lot_," he said and Matthew winked at Gilbert, walking into the kitchen before Gilbert could further expose him.

"Why don't you go hang out with Gilbert and everyone?" Marianne suggested as he walked in. "Antonio and I have this dinner under control."

Matthew shrugged and walked back into the living room, sitting down on the couch next to Gilbert's armchair.

"Snooki's so awesome – how could you hate her?" Alyssa demanded at Gilbert, who shrugged.

"Pauly's cooler," he replied.

"Yeah but Snooki is hilarious," Alyssa told him.

"So is Pauly," Gilbert said defensively.

"Personally, I find Jwoww the most interesting in the house," Elizabeth piped, closing her book shut. Everyone turned to stare at her.

"You watch Jersey Shore?" Gilbert and Alyssa demanded in unison.

Elizabeth flushed, looking embarrassed. "Only when I have nothing better to do," she said sheepishly.

"But why do you like Jwoww?" Alyssa asked.

"B-because she seems very intelligent and level-headed-"

"_Oh_," Gilbert said, a smirk growing on his face. "_I_ know why you like Jwoww," he said in a sing-song voice, looking amused.

"Because she seems very intelligent and-"

"And she has big tits," Gilbert added. Alyssa let out a laugh as Elizabeth's face turned a bright red.

"N-nonsense, I'd never like somebody for such shallow and superficial-"

"She's hot, part-Irish and has big tits that she likes to flaunt. I can see why you like her so much," Gilbert interrupted.

"Oooh Liz – what would Marianne say if she found out?" Alyssa teased.

"As if Marianne would care – she's like Icky's French version of Jwoww," Gilbert said with a snort.

"Icky?" Matthew asked, looking confused.

"Did you just call Liz, _Icky_?" Alyssa asked, looking surprised.

Gilbert shrugged. "When you're friends with Elizaveta _and_ Elizabeth, it gets really complicated trying to keep track of them and since Elizabeth's middle name is Victoria, I call her Icky," he explained.

Matthew frowned. "I don't get it," he said, eyebrows furrowed.

"I do!" Alyssa exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with mirth. "Vicky's a nickname for Victoria and in Fairly Odd Parents, Chip Skylark and Timmy sing a song called Icky Vicky!" she told Matthew.

"It seemed like the perfect nickname," Gilbert agreed with a shrug.

Elizabeth glared at them both. "You two are so immature," she said coldly. She turned to Louise, who had been watching the conversation silently with some exasperation. "I feel bad for you," she said.

"I feel bad for you too," Louise said and Alyssa and Gilbert made noises of outrage.

"Dinner is ready~!" Marianne's voice called out from the kitchen.

"Finally, I'm starved," Gilbert said eagerly, leaping to his feet.

"Maybe if you ate at your own house you wouldn't be so hungry," Elizabeth growled, standing up as well.

"Oh shut up, Icky," Alyssa said gleefully, running off before Elizabeth could do anything.

The group settled around the dining table as Marianne and Antonio put down food, all of them expressing how good the food smelled.

"Me and Louise should just live here instead," Gilbert said appreciatively, already stuffing his face with food.

"I'd rather die than have you live in my house," Elizabeth replied, looking horrified.

"Mattie would love it if I lived here," Gilbert protested, throwing his arm around Matthew. "Wouldn't you, Mattie?" he asked.

Matthew flushed as he was pulled closer to Gilbert. Gilbert smelled of cologne and cinnamon; it made Matthew's stomach churn, probably because that smell combined with the smell of food did not go well together, Matthew told himself. That must be the reason, right?

"The two of you would make the cutest couple!" Antonio cooed eagerly, making Matthew's face turn even redder.

"Gilbert would make an awesome brother-in-law," Alyssa agreed, stuffing her face just as vigorously as Gilbert was.

"Stop talking with food in your mouth," Elizabeth snapped, looking annoyed.

"You too, Gilbert," Louise spoke up, giving her brother a stern look.

"Rude," Gilbert said with a sniff, eating slower now. "By the way, me and Louise are staying over for the night," he said after thoroughly swallowing.

"What? Why?" Louise asked, looking surprised.

"Because it's dark out and dangerous for girls like you and besides, I'm too lazy to walk all the way home," Gilbert said with a shrug.

"There's only one guest room," Elizabeth pointed out.

"Lou can take it; I'll sleep with Mattie," Gilbert said, winking at Matthew, who flushed.

"Ooh, sexy," Alyssa teased, making Matthew's face go even redder.

"You'll need pyjamas," Marianne mused, looking thoughtful.

"I'll give Louise something to wear – you're a medium, right?" Alyssa asked Louise. Louise nodded. "I probably have something for you~!" she said cheerfully.

"Hopefully what you wear to bed isn't as revealing as what you typically wear," Louise said, looking nervous.

"Oh, it's worse," Matthew said and Gilbert smirked.

"Yes – I wanna sleep with Alyssa now!" Gilbert cheered. Matthew, Marianne, Elizabeth and Louise glared at him. "Err...I mean, I'll stick with Mattie," Gilbert said quickly, giving Matthew a one-armed hug that made Matthew feel dizzy [probably being of the smell, Gilbert should lay off the cologne and stuff].

The group ate their dinner in silence after that, save for the random remarks from Gilbert and Alyssa. Matthew spent most of the time trying to squirm away from Gilbert, feeling awkward as Gilbert never let go of Matthew, their bare feet brushing against each other every so often and making Matthew's face flush. Maybe Matthew was contracting something. With his luck, he'd develop a fever in the middle of summer.

Matthew rose to collect the dishes, Louise standing up to help as well.

"You can learn a lot from Louise, you know," Elizabeth said sternly to Alyssa, who rolled her eyes.

"Oh can it, Icky," she replied and she and Gilbert high-fived.

"Will you be staying over too, Antonio?" Marianne asked the Spanish man as she helped clear up the table as well.

"I should probably be getting home; I have an early shift at work tomorrow," Antonio said apologetically.

"I'll walk you to the door," Marianne suggested.

Elizabeth took charge of locating the new, unopened toothbrushes they had bought a few months ago, Alyssa already figuring out some decent outfit for Louise to wear, and Marianne fixing up the guest room for Louise to sleep in.

"Bro, your bed is so comfy," Gilbert said, rolling around happily in it. Matthew rolled his eyes and opened his closet, looking around for something Gilbert could wear.

"I have a pair of shorts you could wear," Matthew said, fishing out a pair of red shorts from the closet.

"No need, man – I sleep in my boxers," Gilbert said cheerfully, ripping his shirt off and grinning at him.

Matthew made a face, his face turning pink. "I'm not sharing a bed with you if you're going to be half-naked," he warned.

"Suit yourself," Gilbert said with a shrug. "You can sleep on the couch."

"Or with Louise," Matthew said innocently.

Gilbert narrowed his eyes, suddenly looking dangerous. "Will you?" he challenged. Matthew gulped.

"No?" he replied meekly. Gilbert beamed at him, looking happy again.

"Good. Now lie down," he said, patting down the spot next to him on the bed.

"I need to brush my teeth," Matthew said quickly. Gilbert shrugged.

"Whatever. Just hurry up and stuff – I need something to hug," he said with a wink. Matthew's face turned red.

"You're such a fucking creep," he muttered, stalking out of the room.

"Love you too, babe!" Gilbert called out from the bedroom.

Matthew's eyes shot open as something poked his sides.

"Matt," a voice whispered in his ear. Oh right, Gilbert was sharing at bed with him. Matthew felt his cheeks burn as he turned around to face Gilbert [oh God why were their faces so close why can't Gilbert move back whatever happened to personal space-]

"What?" Matthew whispered, feeling drowsy.

"What's that noise?" Gilbert asked, looking spooked.

"What noise?" Matthew asked. "If you're trying to prank me or whatever, I'm going to punch you-"

"Shut up and listen!" Gilbert hissed and Matthew fell silent.

Matthew could now suddenly hear the distinct sounds of moaning – as though someone were in pain.

"Oh," Matthew said, feeling relieved and rolling his eyes. "That's just Elizabeth. Marianne and her must be at it again," he said, closing his eyes.

"Wait, so they're fucking?" Gilbert asked, sounding horrified.

"Yup," Matthew replied, his eyes still closed.

"Urgh, normally I'd find that hot but since the other girl is Icky...oh shit now I'm picturing her orgasm face, oh _fuck,_ that's so..."

"Icky?"

"Exactly."

"Yeah well, get used to it. They can go on for ages," Matthew said, rolling over to his side. He felt Gilbert wrap his arms around Matthew's waist and his eyes flew open. "What are you doing?" he hissed, feeling his back press against Gilbert's chest [why on earth did that always happen and when the fuck did Gilbert take off his shirt oh God oh God why was Gilbert's nipples always hard] and his ass against Gilbert's...vital regions.

"I'm cold," Gilbert said, sounding muffled.

"Its summer," Matthew growled, trying to rip Gilbert's arms off of him.

"The air conditioning is on too high," Gilbert protested.

"Well get up, turn it down and stop spooning me!" Matthew said, feeling exasperated.

"Nah, too lazy," Gilbert said. Matthew could almost hear the smirk on Gilbert's face.

"Get out of my bed," Matthew growled.

"Want me to climb into Alyssa's bed?"

"No."

"Exactly."

Matthew couldn't sleep for the rest of the night.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Okay, I'll admit it; I was watching Jshore season 3 while writing this chapter. According to Tv Tropes, Jwoww has a cult-like following in England, with the magazines and such calling her intelligent so Elizabeth's love for Jwoww is validated, okay? 8D I also imagine Matthew and Lars to be more calmer versions of Vinny and Pauly. Those two have such an epic bromance**

**I picture Svea to be one of those stereotypical Swedish girls - long white-blonde hair, legs that go on forever...and nice rack. Tino's a lucky boy. I also imagine Svea is quite girly, the way her male counterpart is manly. She also doesn't grunt. I can't picture a fem!Sweden grunt-talking. I kind of picture teen!Svea like that chick from that one Suite Life on Deck episode where they go to Sweden and Zack meets this girl named Dorta. I always picture her when I write teen!Svea. I'm such a kid 8D**

**Icky's going to be another one of those ways I can keep track of Elizabeth and Elizaveta without getting confused.**

**I imagine Louise to be meeker with people she barely knows. If she knows them uber well, she'll be a lot more like her male counterpart.**

**And yeah, I think that's it.**


	4. Chapter 4

_Marianne - Fem!France_

_Elizabeth - Fem!England_

_Alyssa - Fem!America_

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Four:<span>

"You're here a lot," Matthew remarked to Ivan as the two sat outside on the Kirkland porch, a can of coke in Matthew's hand and root beer in Ivan's.

"Natalia is always out with friends and Katyusha is out with Eduard most of the time so I get bored," Ivan said with a shrug.

"Plus you like annoying Alyssa, eh?" Matthew teased and Ivan laughed.

"That too," he said, smirking.

The two fell into silence, both taking the occasional sip as they stared out into space, lost in their own thoughts. Matthew liked hanging out with Ivan; he was a lot chiller than Lars and Gilbert.

"Matvey," Ivan said suddenly, looking thoughtful. "What does the Bro Code say about having a crush on a friend's sister?" he asked.

Matthew took a sip of his coke. "Uh...it's kinda bad? Any sister of a brother is automatically your sister and stuff," he said with a shrug. "Of course, if you're a dick like Mathias and you ignore the Bro Code about sisters and go ahead and screw them, you're automatically shunned for life," Matthew added with a scowl.

"I never liked Mathias," Ivan remarked.

"Why do you care so much about the Bro Code suddenly?" Matthew asked suddenly. He blinked, eyes widening. "Is this about Björk?" he demanded eagerly.

"...what?" Ivan asked, looking perplexed.

"Erik's sister who moved here from Iceland," Matthew explained. "We call her Björk 'cause we can't remember her name."

"Eva?" Ivan asked.

"_Right_, that's her name," Matthew said, nodding in understanding. "You'd think I'd be able to remember names considering no one ever remembers mine but well, there you go," he said, laughing.

"What about Eva?" Ivan asked, looking perplexed.

"What? Oh right – I saw you hanging out with her and stuff a while back. You're friends with Erik, right? So is it Eva you like?" Matthew asked.

"...yes, I suppose so," Ivan said, looking away.

"Dude, in the badrillion years I've known you, I don't think you've ever liked anyone. This calls for a congratulatory toast," Matthew said, lifting his can up.

Ivan rolled his eyes and lifted his can up as well. Before the two could touch cans, the door opened and Alyssa came skipping outside.

"Oh gross, it's you," Alyssa said, rolling her eyes at the sight of Ivan.

"It's very nice to see you too, Alyssa," Ivan said politely and Alyssa snorted.

"Of course it is," she said, bending over to take a can of coke from Matthew's cooler. "Have you seen Mei? We were going to go to Harbourfront to chill and stuff," she asked Matthew, shifting the weight on her TNA tote bag.

"I don't think she's come yet," Matthew said, shrugging.

"Well, tell me when she does, 'kay?" Alyssa asked, walking inside before Matthew could reply.

"Natalia is here," Ivan said, standing up. Matthew looked up to see the girl standing on the sidewalk, staring at the house coldly. "My sisters and I are going out for dinner," he explained as Matthew took his can to throw out, "I'll see you later."

"Alright," Matthew said, standing up and giving Ivan a bro-hug.

Matthew sat back down on his chair, watching Ivan join his sister absently as he fished for a new can of coke to drink [honestly, his addiction was reaching Alyssa-levels]. He watched Ivan and Natalia talk very seriously for a few moments before Natalia glanced up, back at the house, directly at him. Matthew flushed, looking away, embarrassed to have been caught staring. To his surprise, however, Natalia began to walk toward the house, Ivan obediently following behind her.

"Uh hey, Natalia," Matthew said awkwardly, standing up.

"I would like to ask you out on a date," Natalia said promptly. Matthew stared at her.

"W-what?" he asked, feeling surprised. Natalia was asking _him_ out? On a _date_? The school rumour always said Natalia was into her brother so why was she asking him out?

"I'm asking you out," Natalia said slowly, as though Matthew were mentally slow.

"I didn't know you l-liked—"

"You're cute," Natalia interrupted matter-of-factly, making Matthew's cheeks burn. "So will we be going out?" she asked.

Matthew glanced at Ivan, feeling guilty. "I can't – it'd be going against..." he paused, noticing Ivan's look of terror.

"Say yes," Ivan mouthed out as Natalia's glare intensified.

"Uh...I mean...yes?" Matthew said meekly.

Natalia nodded. "I shall see you at Johnny Rockets at seven tomorrow," she said briskly and turned to walk away.

"Are you sure you're alright with me going out with your sister?" Matthew asked Ivan when Natalia was out of earshot.

"Out of all my friends, you are the one I trust most. Besides," Ivan said with a shudder, "I don't want Natalia mad at me."

"Ivan!" Natalia called out and Ivan tensed up.

"I should go. I'll see you later," Ivan said, running off before Matthew could say goodbye.

It wasn't until the two had left that it finally hit Matthew.

Matthew pulled out his cell phone and quickly dialled Lars' number, feeling horror wash over him.

"Hello?"

"Bro, I'm going on a date with _Psycho-bitch_."

* * *

><p>"You know, I always thought your first date would be with a boy," Alyssa remarked, perched on the edge of Matthew's bed as Marianne went through his closet.<p>

"Shut up," Matthew growled, shoving Alyssa playfully. Alyssa giggled and pulled Matthew into a headlock, ruffling his hair teasingly.

"I'm so proud of you," Alyssa said, brushing a fake tear away from her eyes. "My big brother's finally growing up and becoming a man!"

"Screw you," Matthew said, breaking free of Alyssa's grip.

"It's official," Marianne declared, moving out of the closet, "you have absolutely _nothing_ fashionable in here to wear on this date."

"I don't need to dress all fancy," Matthew protested. "I'll just wear something normal and-"

"You don't wear something normal on a _date_!" Alyssa and Marianne exclaimed, looking horrified.

"You have to look _dashing_," Marianne said.

"Like, really, really hot," Alyssa added.

"And intelligent," Marianne continued.

"But not like, nerdy smart 'cause then you'll never see her naked," Alyssa added.

"And charming," Marianne said with a flourish.

"But not like Edward Cullen charming 'cause then she'll just think you're a creep who watches her sleep and is really old and stuff," Alyssa added.

"How am I supposed to show that through clothing?" Matthew asked, feeling dazed.

"Eureka!" Marianne shrieked, reaching into the bottom of Matthew's closet, pulling out what looked like a dark navy blue dress shirt.

"Where is that even _from_?" Matthew asked as Marianne tossed it at him.

"I think Icky bought that for you for semi formal last year," Alyssa mused, looking thoughtful.

"But I never wore this," Matthew protested.

"Yeah, Icky was pretty pissed about that," Alyssa said with a snicker.

"Wear these with your black skinny jeans," Marianne commanded, tossing Matthew his jeans. Matthew made a face.

"It's too hot to wear black skinny jeans," he complained.

"Please, we live in Canada," Alyssa said, rolling her eyes. "It's not like we live in Texas or something."

"You've been to Texas once. And that was for one hour," Matthew deadpanned.

"And it was really hot!" Alyssa insisted.

"You'll be in an air conditioned restaurant, so you won't get hot," Marianne replied. She grabbed Alyssa by the arm and began to drag her out the door. "We'll leave you alone so you can get dressed. We'll be back to figure out what to do with your hair," she said over her shoulder.

"What's wrong with my hair?" Matthew demanded.

"Oh mon chouchou," Marianne said, looking sympathetic, "you're seventeen years old and you still get mistaken for Alyssa."

"That's pretty sad, bro," Alyssa said in agreement.

Matthew flushed, walking over to the door and slamming it shut before they could say anything else.

"Hey Marianne, can we straighten Matt's hair?" he heard Alyssa ask eagerly from the other side.

"Only if he lets us~!" Marianne replied gleefully and Matthew suddenly wondered why he bothered living with these girls.

* * *

><p>"You look nice," Natalia said as Matthew joined her at their table.<p>

"T-thanks," Matthew said, feeling awkward. "So do-"

"Let's cut the formalities and get to business," Natalia interrupted, looking serious. "My brother has a crush on your sister."

Matthew blinked, feeling surprised. "Ivan has a crush on _Al_? I swear they hated each other!" he said.

"It developed recently. Now, according to Ivan, you said some nonsense about a 'bro code' that prohibits Ivan from asking Alyssa out?" Natalia asked, narrowing her eyes. Matthew gulped.

"I said that not knowing he liked her, honest!" he said meekly.

"So do you or do you not approve of my brother liking your sister?" she asked.

"I do! Compared to Mathias or any of the other douches that go after my sister, he's perfect – but it's not up to me, you know; Al has to like him back," Matthew warned.

"I know. But do you approve of Ivan asking her out and getting to know her better?" Natalia asked and Matthew nodded. She leaned back, pleased with his response. "You know, I only want what is best for my brother. I know people at school say it's because I'm in love with him," she told him candidly.

"What? No," Matthew said, feigning surprise and horror. Natalia nodded.

"They mistake sibling affection for romantic love and spread stupid rumours about me stalking my brother and nonsense like that. I just want to see my brother happy, is that too much to ask?" Natalia demanded.

"N-no, it isn't," Matthew said quickly, feeling guilty. He and Lars liked to joke about Natalia sometimes – hence their term 'psycho-bitch' for her.

"Hopefully your sister likes my brother back; I would not like to see him hurt," Natalia said. Was Matthew just imagining the threatening overtone? Matthew gulped, feeling awkward.

"So this was what the date was?" Matthew asked. "You just wanted to talk about our siblings liking each other? Why did it have to be a date?"

Natalia flushed, which came as a surprise to Matthew. He wasn't even aware she could show feelings like embarrassment. "I promised my brother I wouldn't meddle in his love affairs. He thinks I have a crush on you – and it'll stay like that, okay?" she added, giving Matthew a look. Matthew nodded quickly. "I suppose we will have to pretend to date for a while to make sure he doesn't get suspicious," she mused, looking thoughtful. "Tell me about yourself," she demanded.

"What?" Matthew asked, surprised.

"Since we will be together for an indefinite amount of time, we should at least get to know each other better," Natalia said matter-of-factly.

"O-oh. Well...I like reading, hockey, pancakes with _real_ maple syrup on top..." Matthew trailed off, trying to think of what else he could say.

"What's your favourite colour?" Natalia asked.

"Red and white."

"Favourite movie?"

"The Hangover."

"First or second?"

"Both."

"Favourite food?"

"Pancakes for breakfast, poutine for lunch and dinner."

"Favourite sports team?"

"The Habs."

"Are you a virgin?"

"I-isn't that a little personal?" Matthew squeaked, turning red.

"Well, since I'm going to be your girlfriend for a while, shouldn't I know this?" Natalia asked.

"...I am," Matthew said in a small voice, staring down at his hands.

He heard a tinkling sound and he looked up to see Natalia giggling. His face turned a bright red.

"That's very cute," she admitted, an uncharacteristic smile on her face. The smile made her eyes light up and for once, she actually looked friendly.

"You're really, really pretty when you smile," Matthew blurted out suddenly.

The smile vanished from Natalia's face, surprise now taking over her features. "I do?" she asked, sounding taken aback.

Matthew's face turned even redder as he nodded. "You should smile more often," he suggested.

Natalia turned pink for the second time ever [either Matthew was magical or the apocalypse was coming; Matthew wasn't sure which].

"I have a feeling this is going to be the beginning of a beautiful fake relationship," she said, smiling again.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: And so enters the Romantic False Lead. Just a random note: the FACE family lives in Toronto, near Ryerson university, which is Elizabeth's university. Matthew and Alyssa go to a fictional high school that's not too far away from Ryerson's campus.**

**After this chapter, the following chapters will have a month interval in the universe. So chapter five will take place in September, chapter six will take place in October and so on. This is so that I don't have to write too many filler chapters and let the time move faster. Johnny Rockets is honestly one of my new favourite restaurants~**

**Eva, Erik and Mei are Fem!Iceland, Norway and Taiwan respectively.**

**Review, please~? **


	5. Chapter 5

_Marianne - Fem!France_

_Elizabeth - Fem!England_

_Alyssa - Fem!America_

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Five:<span>

"This is so embarrassing," Matthew said out loud to no one in particular as his sisters, Marianne, and Natalia wandered around the store, all discussing loudly which size was preferable.

"Zebra or leopard?" Alyssa asked him from nearby, holding two different bras.

"I don't care," Matthew replied, looking away.

"Oh come on," Alyssa said with exasperation. "Pretend we weren't related and you saw me in my bra. Which one would you prefer to see me in?" she asked.

"I'd rather not think about that," Matthew said, feeling disgusted.

Natalia walked over to him, holding a dark purple bra with matching panties. "Should I get these?" she asked him curiously.

Matthew flushed and nodded eagerly. "Definitely," he said and Natalia smirked, leaning over to kiss him before walking to the cashier.

"Rude," Alyssa said, her arms crossed as she watched the exchange. "You'll help _her_ but not your own sister?" she demanded.

"Uh..._yeah_?" Matthew said.

"Well, that's not fair,' Alyssa protested.

"Actually, it kinda is. See, Al, Nat's my _girlfriend_ so naturally I'll have interest in what bra she wants to buy. You're my sister and I _never_ want to see you naked," Matthew told her.

"I wish you brought a friend along," Alyssa huffed. "Whatever, I'll buy both," she decided finally, joining Natalia at the check-out counter.

"Marianne, I'm not buying this frilly pink bra!" Elizabeth exclaimed in exasperation. "All I want is a sensible, _simple_ brassiere," she said.

"But that's so _ugly_," Marianne insisted. "I don't even know why I'm bothering; I'll buy it for you anyways," she said, marching off to the check-out counter.

"I'm never going to wear it!" Elizabeth warned, chasing after her.

"I'll make you," Marianne purred with a wink, making Elizabeth flush brilliantly.

Matthew's Blackberry vibrated as he waited by the entrance for the women to get their things and join him. It was a text from Ivan.

_Where are you?_ It asked.

_Victoria's Secret. Hurrrry – im dying_

_Is Alyssa buying bras?_

_Bro, that's creepy. _

_I am sorry. _

_But yeah, she is. _

_I am on my way. _

"Is that Ivan?" Natalia asked, appearing behind Matthew, peering over his shoulder curiously.

"He's meeting up with us here," Matthew replied, pocketing his phone.

"We should make sure that they have time alone together," Natalia mused, latching herself onto Matthew's right arm.

"You suck at not meddling," he informed her and Natalia just laughed in response.

It was September and yet it was still as hot as it was back in July. School had started up again and while things hadn't started to become especially hectic, Matthew found himself spending hours over homework, hoping to keep up his good marks for university applications. He and Natalia were still dating, though they weren't necessarily the Brangelina of the school [how could they? They were one part invisible, one part supposedly insane]. Although their relationship was technically 'fake', Matthew felt himself falling for Natalia as the days went by. When you actually got to know Natalia, she was actually a lot nicer and sweeter than she let on.

"Hello Matvey," Ivan greeted as he spotted them, his trademark scarf still around his neck.

"What is _he_ doing here?" Alyssa asked in surprise as she walked out of the store, joining them by the entrance.

"I was dying from all the estrogen so I invited him over," Matthew explained.

"I hope that doesn't bother you, Alyssa," Ivan said politely.

"Why would that bother me? Nothing bothers me," Alyssa huffed, walking away with her nose in the air. Ivan rolled his eyes and the three followed her, Marianne and Elizabeth following close behind, the two of them bickering. She led them to a shoe store, making a beeline to the running shoes. "Football season's starting up and I need new shoes!" she exclaimed, looking at the selection of running shoes.

"But there is no girls football team," Natalia remarked, looking confused.

"As if that would stop Al," Matthew said, rolling his eyes. He followed Natalia to the selection of high heels obediently, holding onto her hand. Ivan walked around awkwardly by himself as Marianne and Elizabeth began bickering about sandals.

"These are cute," Natalia mused, picking up a pair of black heels.

"Um, Nat?" Matthew asked hesitantly, watching the cashiers inch away from Ivan. "Are you sure Alyssa is warming up to Ivan? It's been a month and the two still don't talk that—"

"Hey Ivan!" Alyssa called out suddenly, waving a hand, "Come help me find awesome shoes – Icky's not helping me!"

Natalia smirked as Ivan joined Alyssa, both looking quite happy. "You were saying?" she teased. "Soon enough the two of them will be dating," she said happily, putting away the shoes and looking for another pair.

"But what about us?" Matthew asked. "I mean, we started dating just so they could get together but what happens to us when they finally do start dating?"

Natalia glanced at him. "Are you scared I'll break up with you?" she asked.

"N-no but—"

"I like dating you. You are sweet and you don't judge me for those rumours at school," Natalia said gently, putting her arms around Matthew [making his stomach flutter (oh God, Matthew was _such_ a woman)]. "I won't break up with you if you don't break up with me," she said sweetly.

"Deal," Matthew agreed, kissing her lightly.

* * *

><p>"Mathieu, will you please help me with the bags?" Marianne's voice called out from the door. Matthew looked up from typing up his history paper and stood up, walking to the door just in time to catch the bag that had slipped from Marianne's fingers.<p>

"You're welcome," Matthew said as he took half of the bags and followed Marianne to the kitchen.

"Merci," Marianne said setting the bags down with a sigh. "I should start going to the gym; these bags are getting too heavy," she complained, rubbing her hands.

"Or maybe you should take someone with you when you go grocery shopping so you don't have to carry all the bags," Matthew suggested, putting his bags down as well, opening a few to see what Marianne had bought. He fished out a bag of dog treats and shook it lightly, laughing as he heard Kumajiro scampering towards him from wherever he had been hiding.

"Gilbert was with me at the store but the brute didn't offer helping me," Marianne said, taking out food from the bags and putting them away in the right spots.

"Gilbert was with you?" Matthew asked, looking surprised. "Why didn't he come over?" he asked, stooping down to the ground to pet Kumajiro as the puppy jumped at his feet for treats.

Marianne looked uncomfortable as she turned away to open the cupboards. "From what I gather...he seemed to be upset about something so I don't think he wanted to hang out; we just happened to run into each other," she said quickly, putting away a box of Oreo cookies for Alyssa.

"Is he upset with me?" Matthew asked, blinking, looking up from scratching Kumajiro behind the ear.

"No!" Marianne said a little too quickly. "He's just a bit hurt about something, probably something from university or something. Don't worry about it," Marianne told Matthew hastily. "Help me make dinner?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Can I?" Alyssa asked eagerly, walking into the kitchen as Marianne spoke, stooping down and picking up Kumajiro, walking away with the puppy as Matthew stared at her in horror.

"No," Matthew and Marianne chorused in unison.

"Rude," Alyssa said with a pout, sitting down at the dining table, petting Kumajiro on the head. "I'm not that bad at cooking, anyways," she complained.

"Uh, yeah you are," Matthew said, setting out Kumajiro's dinner on the ground. He smirked as Kumajiro thrashed around in Alyssa's arms, desperate to get to his food. Kumajiro finally broke free, yipping happily as he ran to eat.

"Nuh uh – I'm good at barbequing," Alyssa shot back. She had a point too; with a barbeque, Alyssa was a pro at making hamburgers and hot dogs.

"You still can't help," Marianne said, placing a pot on the stove. Alyssa made a face. "Mathieu, can you start cutting up vegetables?" she asked, turning to Matthew, who was washing his hands.

"Alright," Matthew said, drying his hands and taking out the cutting board and a knife.

"Is Natalia coming over?" Alyssa asked curiously as she watched her brother begin chopping carrots.

"Nah, her family's going out to eat tonight or something," Matthew replied, shrugging.

"So Ivan isn't coming either?" Alyssa asked innocently, resting her legs on the table. Matthew stared at her.

"Why would _you_ care if Ivan comes over or not?" he asked, a smirk beginning to grow. "Unless..."

"No!" Alyssa exclaimed, her face turning red.

"Awww, Alyssa is falling in love!" Marianne cooed happily. "Amour is always a wonderful feeling," she hummed as she cooked.

"I'm not in love with _Ivan_," Alyssa exclaimed. "I mean, I hate the guy – how could I like someone that I hate?" she demanded.

"Cher, you're talking to the woman who is in love with your sister," Marianne deadpanned, turning around to give Alyssa a look.

"What?" Elizabeth asked, walking into the kitchen with a textbook in her hands.

"Out!" Marianne shrieked, rushing over to Elizabeth and pushing her towards the door. "You aren't allowed in the kitchen when I'm cooking! Your negative aura always spoils the food!" she exclaimed. Elizabeth swatted at her in annoyance.

"Oh please, my aura is wonderful," Elizabeth snapped, grabbing Marianne by the wrists so that the other woman couldn't swat at her anymore. "Besides, I was about to make myself a cup of tea," she added, moving out of Marianne's way and walking towards the cupboard where she stashed her precious teabags.

"It'll spoil your appetite, you know," Marianne told her, walking back to her boiling pot on the stove just in time.

"Oh tosh," Elizabeth scoffed, pouring hot water into her favourite teacup. "And what were you going on about before I came in here, anyways? I heard my name," she asked absently, dropping a few teabags in.

"Alyssa likes Ivan," Matthew informed her, now cutting up cucumbers. Elizabeth laughed as Alyssa made a roar of outrage.

"Young love," Elizabeth mused, picking up her teacup and taking a sip.

"I'm _not_ in love with him!" Alyssa exclaimed in frustration.

Matthew had a feeling that even _she_ didn't believe herself when she said that. Matthew made a mental note to tell Natalia the next day at school; their plan was working!

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Yeah so this was a slight filler chapter 8D But then again, this story's supposed to be more of a slice of life rather than a story with a definite plot and such~**

**Matthew and Natalia got past the awkward first relationship stage during their first week together. I can't write fluff and I knew that if I tried, it'd end up being pages of nonsense so I just skipped to the part I could write where Matthew's falling head over heels for Nat and the two of them are like in the honeymoon stageish.**


	6. Chapter 6

_Marianne - Fem!France_

_Elizabeth - Fem!England_

_Alyssa - Fem!America_

_Lars - Netherlands_

_Elise - Belgium_

_Lili - Liechtenstein_

_Angelique - Seychelles _

_Svea - Fem!Sweden_

_Mathias - Denmark_

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Six:<span>

"I'm home!" Matthew called out as he entered the house, kicking his shoes off and tossing his keys into their key-bowl.

"No way!" he could hear Alyssa gasp from the living room.

"C'est vrai," Marianne said seriously as Matthew joined them in the living room.

"That's incredibly sad, even for an idiot like him," Elizabeth agreed.

"Sad for who?" Matthew asked curiously, flopping down next to Alyssa. Kumajiro came running in from God knows where, leaping into Matthew's lap happily.

"No one," the women chorused innocently.

"Oh really?" Matthew asked, his eyebrows raised. "Seriously, what are you guys talking about?"

"Gilbert can't make it to our Halloween party," Marianne said, changing the subject quickly. "He, um, has an important test the next day so he'll be spending Halloween studying instead."

"Really? Doesn't sound like Gilbert," Matthew remarked, feeling disappointed. It had been almost two months since Matthew had last seen Gilbert and to be frank, Matthew kind of really missed him. Lars did too; their group of Awesome just wasn't as awesome without the self-proclaimed awesomest person alive.

"His father is making him or something. But enough about that; how are you? How was your day?" Marianne asked hastily.

"Since when did _you_ care?" Mathew asked, mystified. It was normally Elizabeth or their parents who cared about those type of things; not Marianne. There was clearly something Marianne and the other two were keeping from him, but he wasn't sure what.

"Since I said so," Marianne replied, reminding Matthew oddly of Lars.

"My day was alright...I managed to get a good mark on that advanced functions test, surprising – I guess Wang likes me or something. Hockey practice was alright too..." Matthew paused to think. "Oh, that reminds me; Al, does Kiku have any more puppies? Svea mentioned Tino wanting one and thought about me and Kumajiro," Matthew asked Alyssa, Kumajiro barking at the sound of his name.

Alyssa shrugged, looking thoughtful. "I'm not sure; I thought Kumajiro was the last puppy Kiku sold but I'll ask. I think I remember him mentioning how he still had Hanatamago. But I'll ask, just to make sure," Alyssa promised.

"Thanks," Matthew said, absently scratching Kumajiro behind the ear.

"How are your studies going?" Elizabeth asked suddenly. "Aren't you supposed to be applying for university soon? Where do you plan on going?"

Matthew blinked. "Why is everyone interrogating me all of a sudden?" he demanded, feeling dazed.

"Icky tried that on me before you came, don't worry," Alyssa said and Elizabeth scowled at her.

"Excuse me for taking an active interest in my siblings' academics," she said snottily and Alyssa stuck her tongue [rather immaturely] at Elizabeth.

"Well, my studies are fine, yes I am, and I'm planning on applying to Mac, U of T and Western; but probably going to U of T – if I can make it in," Matthew said, ignoring his sisters' argument.

"For law, right?" Alyssa asked, reaching over to pet Kumajiro, who barked happily in surprise.

"Well, I'm doing English and something else like political science or business as my degrees and then I'm applying to law school," Matthew replied with a shrug. "Gil's doing a minor in English or something at U of T, right? I should ask him how the program is," Matthew mused.

"I'll do it for you; I'm visiting Gilbert next week anyways," Marianne offered.

"Can I come?" Matthew asked quickly. It would be nice to see Gilbert, even if Gilbert couldn't make it come.

"Me too!" Alyssa exclaimed. "Uni guys are pretty hot," she added eagerly.

"Excuse me?" Elizabeth said, looking horrified.

"And I enjoy being surrounded by the intellectual minds that are partaking in secondary education," Alyssa added, adopting a British accent. Elizabeth rolled her eyes.

"Don't you two have midterms coming up?" she asked.

"Well _yeah_ but-"

"Mum would have my head if I let you neglect your studies. You can't go with Marianne to see Gilbert," Elizabeth said in a finite voice.

"Awww, _Icky_!" Alyssa groaned, looking upset. "How is that even fair?"

"You'll thank me when you get into a reputable university and have a decent future," Elizabeth sniffed.

"I can already get a very decent future with_out_ studying twenty-four/seven like you!" Alyssa exclaimed, looking annoyed.

"This is our cue to start making dinner," Marianne proclaimed quickly, standing up as Elizabeth opened her mouth to reply. Matthew set Kumajiro down and followed her quickly, both of them managing to get out of the living room before Elizabeth and Alyssa started screaming.

"Oh, Ivan, Nat, Katy and her boyfriend are coming over too," Matthew said suddenly. "At first it was going to be just Ivan and Nat but Katy wanted to visit us and Ed's staying over since their parents are out and yeah," Matthew explained.

"The more the merrier," Marianne replied cheerfully, already pulling out pots and pans.

Ivan and his family [plus Eduard] arrived a half hour later, much to the joy of Alyssa – though she tried to hide it as much as possible. Natalia joined Matthew in the kitchen, the two of them sneaking kisses behind Marianne's back as Matthew helped her cook [but Marianne totally knew they were kissing and frankly found it cute].

"Dinner's ready!" Marianne shouted as she turned off the stove not too long later, Matthew and Natalia setting the table up and setting the food down.

"This food looks delicious," Ivan said politely as he sat down. Matthew noticed with a smirk that Alyssa casually slid into the seat next to him, regardless of the fact there were many other free spots. Natalia sat down next to Alyssa and Matthew sat at the head of the table, Katyusha and Eduard sitting across from them with Marianne and Elizabeth sitting across from Matthew.

"You should start up a restaurant, Marianne," Katyusha agreed as she began to spoon food onto her plate. "You'd make a lot of money!"

Marianne sighed wistfully as she served herself food. "Maybe one day, when I have enough money," she said with a shrug.

Matthew listened to the talking quietly, eating his food with his right hand and holding Natalia's hand with the other. It was a nice feeling to be in a relationship without feeling obligated to spend every moment talking or kissing or whatever teenage couples did. Matthew felt content just holding Natalia's hand and exchanging the occasional smirk and look of glee when Alyssa and Ivan spoke to each other almost flirtatiously.

* * *

><p>"Could her dress <em>be<em> any shorter?" Matthew asked, rolling his eyes as he gestured with his beer bottle.

"Yeah. We could see her vagina," Lars joked. "God, I love Halloween. The only day of the year where the girls can dress like slutty little fairy tale girls," he said with a happy sigh, taking a sip from his bottle.

Matthew rolled his eyes. "It's like your fetish come true, eh?" Matthew deadpanned, scanning the room for Natalia, who had told Matthew she was going to go talk to some friends for a bit.

"Oh shit," Lars said, ignoring Matthew's remark, "Mathias with Alyssa at 5 o'clock."

"What?" Matthew asked, turning his head just in time to see Mathias leaning towards a Wonder Woman costumed Alyssa with a lecherous glint in his eye.

"He looks like a fail Viking," Lars commented drily.

"I thought he was Thor," Matthew said and Lars shrugged.

"Same difference," he replied. "Either way, Ivan looks pissed," Lars continued, nudging his head in the direction of Ivan, who was lurking not too far away, looking incredibly annoyed. "Maybe he'll beat Mathias up," Lars asked hopefully.

"I wish," Matthew said, sighing as Alyssa giggled at whatever Mathias was telling her. "Most likely what'd happen is Mathias would start shit, Ivan would be the better man and ignore him and once Mathias started getting violent, Svea would show up out of nowhere, kick his ass and drag him home," Matthew told Lars.

Lars shrugged. "That's still pretty epic," he said and Matthew nodded his agreement. "Hey, did Gilbert say why he wasn't coming?" Lars asked suddenly as Louise passed by them in an army costume with Feliciano, who was dressed as mafia gangster.

Matthew shook his head. "He told Marianne – not me. He said something about his father forcing him to study for an exam or whatever," Matthew replied and Lars made a face.

"Lame," Lars commented and Matthew nodded again.

Just then, Natalia joined them with Elise. The two girls apparently had befriended one another not too long after Matthew and Natalia started dating.

"Nice costume," Matthew said to Elise as he leaned over to kiss Natalia, putting an arm around her waist. The Belgian-born girl was dressed in an orange and purple witch's costume, her stomach showing despite the cold weather outside. Natalia was wearing [much to Matthew's delight] a French maid's costume that, considering the other girls' costumes at the party, was fairly decent.

"Thanks," Elise said cheerfully, her cheeks looking flushed as she took a delicate sip from her cup of [probably spiked] punch. "What are you supposed to be?" she asked Matthew.

"I'm a Mountie," Matthew replied, adjusting his hat. "I tried to get Lars to be my horse, but he refused," Matthew continued, glaring at Lars.

"So what are you supposed to be then?" Natalia asked Lars curiously, staring at him.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm Edward Cullen," Lars said, looking offended that Natalia didn't recognize him.

"Where's your Bella?" Elise teased, giggling.

"Lili could be her, if she wanted," Lars joked, glancing at the freshman girl who had come with Angelique [who coincidently dated Lars for a time and was the reason Matthew and Gilbert referred to Lars as a pedophile, considering the fact she was much shorter than Lars and looked twelve whenever she was with him despite being only three years younger than Lars], Marianne's aunt's step-daughter.

"Dude, Vash would fuck your shit up," Matthew said as Elise and Natalia looked appropriately scandalized.

"I could take him," Lars said with a shrug.

"And his guns?" Elise challenged.

"...no," Lars admitted.

"Vash owns guns?" Natalia asked, looking startled.

"It's just a rumour. I think it started up because Vash is a COD enthusiast," Matthew told her.

"The way people think I carry knives on me?" Natalia asked curiously. Matthew stared at her.

"People think you carry knives?" he asked and Natalia nodded. "Do you?" he asked hesitantly and Natalia gave him a look.

"I think that means 'no'," Lars whispered helpfully and Matthew rolled his eyes as Elise laughed. Matthew glanced back at Alyssa casually and his jaw dropped.

"Shit's going to go down," Matthew said, staring at Alyssa in horror.

"What are you talking about?" Natalia asked, leaning so she was staring at what Matthew was looking at.

"Oh no..." Elise murmured, looking worried.

Mathias had his arms around Alyssa and was pulling her in. The four of them could fully see Alyssa trying to shrug his arms off of her, looking annoyed. Ivan had left his spot by the window and was approaching them, looking dangerous.

"I should stop him," Natalia said, moving away from Matthew.

"Wait," Lars and Matthew said in unison.

"Let's see what Ivan's going to do," Matthew said quickly. "If Ivan does what I think he's going to do, maybe it'll make Alyssa fall for him," he explained. Natalia did not look convinced.

"Besides, I want to see Ivan beat up Mathias," Lars said eagerly and Natalia glared at him.

The four watched as Ivan tapped Mathias on the shoulder and said something to him. Mathias let out a loud laugh and let go of Alyssa, who punched Mathias in the arm before walking away. Ivan said something else and Mathias rolled his eyes, shoving Ivan with a smirk on his face. Ivan gave Mathias a dangerous glare.

"I think this is your cue, Nat," Matthew said quietly and Natalia rushed away, passing Katyusha and grabbing her by the arm, the two of them quickly dragging Ivan away before he could do anything to Mathias. Thankfully, no one else at the party noticed, and Mathias laughed off the instance before resuming his harassment on unsuspecting party-goers.

"Pity," Lars remarked, looking away. "Ivan could've paralyzed Mathias or something."

"Mathias isn't that bad!" Elise protested. "He can be crazy, but he's not a bad guy."

"I know," Lars replied, "but until he apologizes for screwing you and Alyssa and basically breaking the Bro Code, we won't forgive him."

"Word," Matthew nodded before blinking in surprise. "I mean, yeah," he quickly corrected, making a mental note to stop listening to rap so much. Elise rolled her eyes in exasperation.

Natalia joined them not too long after, looking pleased. "Thanks," she said, kissing Matthew on the cheek.

"You're welcome?" Mathew asked, looking mystified.

"Look at Ivan," Natalia told him and Matthew did as told, a smile growing on his face as he saw Alyssa with Ivan, the two of them talking. "She came to thank Ivan for telling Mathias to go away," Natalia explained.

"I take it that sparks flew?" Lars asked, looking surprised as he watched Alyssa and Ivan smile at each other.

"I think the sparks are still flying," Matthew remarked, feeling pleased. As odd as he initially found the possibility of Ivan and Alyssa getting together, Matthew now quite liked the idea of them being a couple.

"This is so cute," Elise cooed eagerly.

The rest of the party went off without a hitch, much to the Kirkland group's relief. Elizabeth had spent weeks planning and freaking out about the party, so Matthew, Alyssa and Marianne were relieved everything ended up fine. When the final party-goer left the house in a taxi, Matthew and the girls collapsed on the couches, feeling exhausted.

"That was one hell of a party," Alyssa hiccupped, giggling to herself. Elizabeth giggled as well, snorting and breaking into more laughter over her laughing. Matthew and Marianne exchanged a look. Matthew's sisters obviously couldn't hold in their alcohol.

"It was," Marianne agreed, standing up to start clearing away garbage. "And the police didn't even bust us," she added, sounding pleased.

"Maybe they gave up?" Matthew suggested, standing up to help Marianne. "I can't wait for two years from now; I'll be legal and we wouldn't have to worry about getting busted for underage drinking," he continued, picking up a bottle that had been dangerously close to falling.

"What about Alyssa? She'll be eighteen," Marianne reminded him. Matthew shrugged.

"We'll send her to Quebec to get drunk," he replied and Marianne laughed.

Eventually Marianne and Matthew gave up trying to clean the house; Alyssa and Elizabeth kept attempting to sabotage their attempts so the duo decided to give up and force Alyssa and Elizabeth to clean it themselves the next day.

Matthew flopped onto his bed happily, knowing fully well that the next day he was going to have a headache. But it was totally worth it; the party had been epic.

Pity Gilbert hadn't been there to make it awesomer.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Just a clarification; I'm not in any way trying to make Mathias seem like a total monster in this story. The story's in the third person viewpoint of Matthew, who happens to be an unreliable narrator. Matthew and Lars are angry at Mathias, which makes Mathias seem like a douchebaggy manwhore. Elise is right about Mathias; he isn't a bad guy, really xD **

**Sorry for the lack of update in a while, guys. I've been caught up with school work D: **

**Fun fact, Matthew's plan for the future is remarkably similar to mine 8D**

**Review?**


	7. Chapter 7

_Marianne - Fem!France_

_Elizabeth - Fem!England_

_Alyssa - Fem!America_

_Lars - Netherlands_

_Elise - Belgium_

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Seven:<span>

"Dude, I think I forgot how to do long division," Lars whispered to Matthew, poking him with the end of his lead pencil.

"And you're asking _me_? You're the one with the seventy," Matthew whispered back. "I have a sixty-eight."

"We're fucked," Lars moaned, slamming his face into the desk. Not too far away, Mr. Wang gave them a sharp look before turning back to help Feliks Łukasiewicz.

"At least we only have fifteen more minutes until class is over," Matthew reminded him.

"Yeah but I have calculus after this and that's with Mr. R," Lars replied. "He's chill and stuff but _still_. It's math."

"Sucks for you," Matthew said cheerfully, doodling absently on the side of his notebook, "I have French next and that's so easy; maybe I'll get in some extra sleep," he joked. Lars rolled his eyes.

"I wish _I_ took French. Why did I even take Spanish? Se_ñ_or Martinez is cool and stuff but _why_ does that idiot have to sit in our classes?" Lars complained.

"Antonio? Isn't it because he's the student-teacher?" Matthew asked, remembering Marianne mention how Antonio wanted to be a teacher.

"Still. He's so annoying," Lars grumbled. "Honestly, you're freakin' twenty-four, act your age," he muttered under his breath.

"Gilbert's twenty-three and _he_ doesn't act his age," Matthew reminded him. Lars shrugged.

"That's different. Gilbert's a bro so he doesn't count," Lars replied. "What's up with him anyways? He's pretty much cut off all ties with the entire world," he continued, erasing yet another wrong equation his own worksheet.

"Dunno, man. D'you think we pissed him off or something? I haven't talked him since me and Nat started dating," Matthew said.

Lars laughed. "Maybe he's jealous you guys are dating," Lars teased. Matthew flushed, giving Lars a look.

"Shut up," Matthew shot at him and Lars laughed again.

"Are the two of you discussing work?" a voice barked behind them, making Matthew and Lars freeze in horror.

"Yes, sir!" Lars said, looking up at Mr. Wang, whose eyes narrowed down at him.

"It did not sound like you were talking about math," Mr. Wang said suspiciously.

"We got a little side tracked," Matthew admitted sheepishly.

"Well, see to it that you finish your work with_out_ distractions," Mr. Wang said and walked away, presumably to terrify some other students who were sidetracked.

"Hate him," Lars muttered under his breath. "We're already failing your class, bro; just let us slack off and enjoy our time while we do."

"You aren't failing," Matthew told him flatly, feeling driven to keep working and not get caught by Mr. Wang again. If he was going to get into university, he might as well get his marks up in his worst subject.

"Still," Lars grumbled, turning to his work when he realized Matthew wasn't replying. For the remaining ten minutes the two worked in silence save for the occasional question from Matthew.

The bell rang and Matthew rose, putting his stuff away quietly, his head feeling foggy. Why did math always do that to him?

"Urgh, calculus," Lars groaned as he pulled his backpack on one shoulder.

"Sucks for you," Matthew replied cheerily, already thinking about how relaxing French was going to be in comparison to math.

Outside of the classroom students rushed through the hallway, all trying to get to their class on time. Matthew soon lost track of Lars as they parted their separate ways, Matthew attempting not to get trampled by some idiot who didn't notice him [it happened before; Matthew wasn't going to let that happen again].

Matthew was jostled to the side by some angry looking muscle-head, causing him to collide into someone.

"Sorry," Matthew automatically said, looking up. It was Louise, glaring at the guy who had pushed Matthew aside.

"It's alright," she said, turning back to Matthew. "Have you seen Feliciano? He had a spare last period and we're in same anthropology class; if Feliciano misses another class because he fell asleep, he's going to get a detention!" she huffed, looking annoyed.

"Err," Matthew said awkwardly, "I didn't see him, sorry."

"What am I going to do with that boy?" Louise muttered in frustration.

"Well, I hope you find him," Matthew said, unsure of what to say. "Oh, have you talked to Gilbert recently?" Matthew asked suddenly, recalling his conversation with Lars. "Last time I talked to him was in August and it's November now; is something wrong?" Matthew asked in concern.

Louise shrugged. "Gilbert rarely confides in me about what is bothering him, so I can't say for sure what's wrong. According to Elizaveta, Gilbert is upset that a crush is now dating someone or something along the lines of that, I'm not too sure," she said finally.

"Gilbert liked someone?" Matthew asked, feeling surprised. He had never mentioned that to him or Lars before. "Well, if you talk to him, tell him me and Lars want to talk to him and ask why he's been almost avoiding us and stuff," Matthew said, noticing that the halls were starting to empty. "I'll see you later," he added.

"Ve~ Louise! I've been looking for you everywhere!" a voice exclaimed and Matthew blinked in surprise as a blur tackled Louise with a hug. Matthew was impressed to see Louise keep her balance, the girl rolling her eyes in exasperation at Feliciano.

"Hey, Feliciano," Matthew said as Louise pushed Feliciano off of her.

Feliciano cocked his head to the side, staring at Matthew. "Are you Matthew?" he asked suddenly, his eyes going side. Matthew resisted the urge to roll his eyes in exasperation like Louise had done.

"Yes, I am. We've met before, remember?" he said.

"_Oh_, Gilbert mentioned you too..." Feliciano said trailing off. He opened his mouth to say more and paused, looking uncomfortable. "We should get going to class," he said finally, nudging Louise. "You're going to be late, you know," Feliciano told her and Louise coloured up, looking furious.

"The only reason I'm going to be late is because-" she began hotly before Feliciano took her by the hand, dragging her away.

"See you later, Matthew!" Feliciano called out over his shoulder as they turned the corner.

Well, _that_ had certainly been weird. Shaking it off as one of Feliciano's many eccentricities, Matthew made his way to his French class, managing to slip in before Mlle. Grimaldi could close the door.

* * *

><p>Matthew walked out of his French class feeling refreshed. He had managed to take a nice hour long nap before Mlle. Grimaldi could notice.<p>

"Matthew," a voice said by his side and Matthew jumped, startled.

"Nat," Matthew gasped, his heart slowing back to regular pace, "you scared the shit out of me!"

"Sorry," Natalia said, looking embarrassed. "I'm just excited!"

"Why?" Matthew asked curiously. Natalia's eyes sparkled.

"Come!" she said, dragging Matthew away from the crowd of people to an empty hall. "I saw Ivan and Alyssa together," she said eagerly, looking excited.

"That's great?" Matthew asked, confused. He didn't see why Natalia was so excited; Ivan and Alyssa had been hanging out more and more as the weeks went by. They had officially gone from the enemies stage to good friends.

"Ivan told me he was going to ask Alyssa out today," Natalia explained and Matthew's mouth dropped.

"He did?" Matthew asked, feeling dazed. Sure, Matthew said he was cool with Ivan and Alyssa dating, but picturing it felt odd.

Natalia nodded. "Want to spy on them?" she asked eagerly.

Matthew laughed. "Really? We're going to be creeps and spy on them?" he asked.

"Why not?" Natalia asked, and proceeded to drag Matthew away.

"How do you even know where they are?" Matthew asked, stumbling to keep up with her, his heavy backpack bumping against his back painfully as he ran.

Natalia smirked at him. "Of course I do. Those rumours about me being a stalker weren't completely false," she replied cheerfully.

"W-what?" Matthew asked, looking surprised [and horrified].

"Just kidding!" Natalia replied quickly and Matthew let out a sigh of relief. "Maybe," she said in a quieter voice and Matthew gaped at her.

The two of them ran into the library, the librarian giving them a stern look as Natalia dragged Matthew to the non-fiction section.

"Um, Nat...why are we here?" Matthew asked with confusion as Natalia let go of his hand, pushing the books apart.

"Look," Natalia whispered, beckoning Matthew to come closer. Matthew walked to her and leaned over her shoulder, peering through the gap.

Ivan and Alyssa were standing together, both of them looking rather embarrassed. Matthew strained to hear what they were saying.

"I can't hear what they're saying," Matthew whispered. "Is it going well?"

Natalia stared at Ivan intently. "I think he's telling her about his crush," she said finally, leaning back into Matthew, making his stomach jolt. He consciously put his hands on her hips and smiled to himself as she rested her head on his chest.

"Now what?" Matthew asked, not really caring anymore about the other two.

"I think he's just asked her out now," Natalia murmured, looking hopeful. "I hope she says yes," she added.

"What would you do if she said no?" Matthew asked curiously.

"I'd dump you," Natalia quipped. Matthew's jaw dropped and Natalia smirked, kissing Matthew's chin. "Kidding," she said quickly and Matthew let out a sigh of relief. "Oh!" Natalia exclaimed suddenly, looking surprised. Matthew leaned in to see what Natalia was looking at, only to see Alyssa and Ivan hugging.

"Cute," he remarked, still trying to process the image into his brain. Natalia sighed happily.

"Now Ivan will be happy finally," she said, looking pleased. "And now we can all have our happy ending," she added, looking up at Matthew, who grinned.

"Yup," he said, leaning down to kiss Natalia.

* * *

><p>Matthew yawned as the transit bus stopped at yet another stop. A few more stops and he'd be home, he thought as he leaned against his seat, trying to keep his eyes from closing. The last time he had fallen asleep on the bus, he had somehow ended near the CN tower [which had been cool, but incredibly freaky since Matthew as only expecting to see his house out the window].<p>

The doors opened and Matthew blinked in surprise to see Ivan board the bus, the taller boy looking equally surprised to see Matthew.

"What are you doing here?" Matthew asked in surprise. Ivan lived far from this area; where had he been?

"Picking something up for Katyusha," Ivan said cheerfully, lifting the shopping bag he was holding up. Matthew moved to the side and Ivan sat down beside him, humming a song happily under his breath.

The bus continued on its way and the two boys sat in silence; Matthew staring out the window and Ivan still humming.

"Matvey," Ivan said suddenly, and Matthew turned to look at Ivan, the other boy looking more uncomfortable now.

"Yeah?" Matthew asked. Ivan fiddled with his scarf, looking nervous.

"I...I asked Alyssa out," Ivan said quietly, not making eye contact with Matthew.

"You did?" Matthew asked, feigning surprise. "Did she say yes?"

Ivan nodded. "I-I hope you are not uncomfortable with that..." he said nervously.

"Well, were _you_ when me and Nat started dating?" Matthew asked. Ivan shook his head.

"I trusted you to take good care of Natalia," Ivan said. Matthew grinned.

"Exactly. I feel the same way about you and Al dating. She's never been on a date before, you know," Matthew continued. Ivan looked up at Matthew, looking startled.

"She hasn't?" he asked, surprised.

"She's been with guys before but none of them have ever asked her out. And personally, I'm glad; I don't think any of those guys would've been good for her. But I trust you, and I know you really like Al, so I know you're not going to hurt her – which is why I'm completely fine with you dating Alyssa," Matthew said reassuringly. Ivan gave Matthew a tentative smile.

"That was all I needed," he replied quietly. Matthew grinned back.

"Now, lemme tell you what to do to make your date with Alyssa perfect..."

* * *

><p>"MATTIEEEE MATTIE MATTIE MATTIE MATTIE—oh, you're here," Alyssa said in surprise as Matthew appeared in her room, rolling his eyes.<p>

"You called?" Matthew asked, flopping onto Alyssa's bed, resting his French textbook on his stomach.

"Does this seem appropriate to wear on a date?" Alyssa fretted, twirling around to show Matthew her outfit. Matthew stared at her.

"You're asking me?" he asked, surprised. "Since when would you ask _me_ for fashion advice when we live with _Marianne_?"

"I already talked to Marianne and she said I looked perfect but..." Alyssa trailed off, biting her lip. "D'you think Ivan will like it?"

"Ivan'll like you in anything – trust," Matthew added as Alyssa looked doubtful, "Ivan didn't fall for you because of what you're wearing."

"I guess you're right," Alyssa said, looking a little more reassured. She brightened up suddenly. "Ivan's taking me to a steakhouse and then we're going skating at Nathan Phillips Square; how did he know I've always wanted to go skating?" she asked eagerly.

Matthew shrugged, hiding a smile. "Maybe Ivan's just smart like that," he said lightly.

"Urgh, I'm so nervous; what if I say something stupid?" Alyssa asked, looking worried. "I mean, what if like, I say something that pisses him off? I mean we're friends and stuff now but we sometimes argue and it'd be just my luck to get into an argument with him on our first date and-"

"You'll be fine," Matthew interjected quickly.

The doorbell rang just then, interrupting anything Alyssa could've said in response.

"Your date is here," Matthew said cheerfully as Alyssa looked horrified.

"I'm not ready yet!" she exclaimed. "I still need to put on earrings!"

"Well put 'em on and come downstairs; I'll go entertain him or something," Matthew said, standing up and picking up his textbook. As he walked out of the door, Alyssa grabbed his arm.

"Thanks," she said softly, smiling at him. Matthew grinned back and reached over to punch Alyssa's arm lightly.

"No prob," he replied, walking out of the room to leave Alyssa alone. Matthew found Ivan already downstairs, presumably let in by Elizabeth, who was now talking to him.

"I'm warning you now, you hurt that girl and I swear to God I will hurt you a thousand times worse," Elizabeth was saying, her green eyes flashing dangerously. For someone as intimidating as Ivan, it was a surprise to see how unnerved he was by Elizabeth.

"Mon cher, do not scare him off before the date," Marianne chided from her spot on the couch. "But I agree," she continued, staring at Ivan. "You hurt her and I won't hesitate to turn you into bird food and feed you to Pierre," she said darkly and Ivan gulped.

"Guys," Matthew said with exasperation. "You're gonna make Ivan run off before Al even comes downstairs."

"We're just warning him," Elizabeth sniffed, walking away to join Marianne on the couch.

"I'm here!" they heard Alyssa cry out just then, the girl practically leaping into the room, her blue eyes sparkling brightly.

"You look beautiful," Ivan told her and Matthew smirked as Alyssa turned bright red in response. It was hilarious to Matthew how shy and girly Alyssa managed to become the moment Ivan asked her out.

"You guys have fun," Matthew said as he walked the pair to the door.

"But not _too_ much fun!" Elizabeth called out from the living room. Alyssa looked mortified.

"Ick_y_!" Alyssa howled as Ivan laughed. Matthew waved them off and closed the door as Ivan drove away from the house. He grinned to himself before joining Elizabeth and Marianne in the living room.

They were going to do just fine.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Mr. R and Mlle Grimaldi are Thailand and Monaco respectively. If it hasn't been mentioned, Senor Martinez is Cuba.**

**And um, I hate saying this but, if it's not too trouble, please leave a comment? I always makes me really happy knowing that there are people reading this story, since I'm having so much fun writing it. ^^;;**


	8. Chapter 8

_Marianne - Fem!France_

_Elizabeth - Fem!England_

_Alyssa - Fem!America_

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Eight:<span>

"Douche," Matthew swore as the freezing cold snowball hit him on the back of the head. He whipped around in time to see Lars run off laughing and vowed to get payback later. Right now, however, he needed to get his Christmas shopping home before his fingers froze off. Hopefully, since Marianne and Elizabeth were out with some university friends and Alyssa and Ivan were on a date, Matthew could get their presents wrapped and hidden before he was caught. He made a mental note to stop by at the convenience store and discuss with Katyusha the perfect present to get Natalia.

Ever since Ivan and Alyssa began dating, it became a common sight to see Alyssa and Matthew at the Braginski house or Ivan and Natalia at the Kirkland house. The two families became especially close, Matthew becoming very good friends with Katyusha and Eduard. He added to his mental note to remind himself that he still needed to get presents for the older couple, plus Lars and Elise and pretty much anyone else who was coming to the Christmas party Marianne was having. Matthew hoped that Gilbert would come to the party; no one had heard from the boy since the summer and Matthew was starting to get really concerned. He had known the older boy for a while now and knew that one of Gilbert's biggest fears was losing contact with all of his friends, so something bad must've happened to make him stop talking to anyone.

"Hey, wait up!" a voice called out from the distance, snapping Matthew out of his thoughts. As Matthew turned, he frowned as Mathias ran to catch up with him, the taller boy nearly slipping and falling from the ice on the sidewalk.

"What do you want?" Matthew asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. Ever since their falling out the year before, Mathias and Matthew rarely talked, the latter usually staying as far away from the former as possible.

Mathias stopped in front of him, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "How are you?" he said finally.

"Fine," Matthew replied, turning to walk away.

"Wait!" Mathias said, putting a hand out to stop Matthew.

"What?" Matthew asked.

"We used to be really tight," Mathias said. "What happened?"

"You fucked my sister and Elise and then laughed it off when me and Lars got mad. You tell me what happened," Matthew shot back.

"I'm really sorry about that, you know," Mathias said earnestly. "I was a douche last year but I swear I've gotten better," he added quickly.

"And how am I supposed to believe that?" Matthew asked.

Matthew blinked in surprise as Mathias suddenly turned bright red, the taller boy averting his eyes to the ground, shuffling his feet awkwardly. "I've fallen in love," Mathias said finally, making Matthew's eyebrows go up.

"You? In _love_?" Matthew asked incredulously.

Mathias nodded. "Weird, right? But I have and I feel like a changed man, man. It's like I can see the world in a different light – and the first thing I realized was what an asshole I've been this entire time and I decided to apologize to you," Mathias said.

Matthew stared at Mathias. "Who the hell did you fall in love with? Were they _magical_?" Matthew demanded in shock. Mathias laughed.

"I think so," Mathias agreed. "But they've really made me realize what a jerk I've been. I think they're words were 'I'd never go out with a douchebag like you' and when I told them I wasn't a douchebag they proceeded to list all the reasons why I was one," Mathias told him.

"And that made you see the light?" Matthew asked and Mathias nodded.

"So do you forgive me and shit?" Mathias asked hopefully.

Matthew thought about it. It was true that Mathias _had_ been a total asshole but he apologized and really seemed to mean it [Matthew made yet another mental note to figure out who this person was that Mathias had fallen head over heels for and thank him for helping the world]. Besides, Matthew had missed having the Danish boy as a friend. It was rather amusing watching Mathias and Svea butt heads whenever he, Tino, Svea, Ivan and Matthew were watching or playing hockey.

"Fine," Matthew said and Mathias let out a whoop, jumping up and slipping on the ice as his feet connected back to the sidewalk, making him fall to the ground. Matthew let out a laugh and reached down to help Mathias back up to his feet. "Come over to my place and dry off before you freeze your balls off," Matthew told him. "It's just around this corner." Mathias brushed the snow off of his wet jeans and began to follow Matthew down the sidewalk as Matthew made his way home.

"So, Alyssa and Ivan, eh?" Mathias asked as the two began their way towards Matthew's house. "Did _not_ expect that."

Matthew shrugged. "Not really. They've been friends since September," Matthew replied.

"Shit, really? I've missed out on so much!" Mathias exclaimed, and Matthew was surprised to see how upset Mathias seemed by that.

"Well, you didn't miss _that_ much," Matthew said, trying to sound reassuring. "Ivan and Al started dating last month."

"But how did they become friends? I swear they hated each other," Mathias said, still sounding confused. Matthew shrugged.

"I guess they got over it after me and Natalia started dating-"

"You're dating _psycho-bitch?_!" Mathias exclaimed, horrified. "Since when?"

Matthew rolled his eyes. "Since August. And she isn't a psycho; all those rumours about her are bullshit," he replied.

"You fuck her yet?" Mathias asked eagerly, making Matthew sputter in embarrassment.

"Dude, that's such a personal question that's-"

"So you did?"

"...yeah."

"I'm so proud," Mathias exclaimed, cheerfully pulling Matthew into a one-armed hug, making the shorter boy's face turn a bright red as he tried not to drop his shopping bags.

"Shut up," Matthew muttered, pushing Mathias' arm off of him. Mathias grinned regardless and Matthew walked ahead to his house's door, pulling out his keys and unlocking the door quickly.

"Warmth," Mathias moaned, his voice dripping with ecstasy when the warm heated air hit them as they walked into the house. Matthew made a noise of agreement and locked the door, beckoning Mathias to follow him upstairs and letting him flop onto the ground next to the heater and pet Kumajiro as Matthew wrapped presents.

"It's been a long time since we've last done this," Matthew mused out loud as he made the finishing touches to Alyssa's present before setting it with the other wrapped presents.

"Since when have I ever watched you wrap presents while lying on your heater, petting your super cute girly puppy?" Mathias asked, looking up from playing with Kumajiro.

"I meant hanging out," Matthew replied.

"Oh, right. Yeah, it's been a while," Mathias agreed.

"You're coming to the Christmas party right?" Matthew asked and Mathias nodded. "Awesome; I'll convince Lars to not kill you and you can bring this person you're so in love with," Matthew said eagerly, feeling excited. It would be nice to have the three of them hanging out again like friends after so long.

"Speaking of awesome, have you talked to Gilbert? Did he drop off the face of the earth?" Mathias asked curiously. Despite Lars and Matthew shunning Mathias, Gilbert had kept in contact with Mathias, forgiving the Dane for hitting on his sister after realizing it wasn't like Louise would ever get with Mathias anyways and hence meaning he wasn't a threat.

Matthew shrugged, frowning. "I haven't talked to him since August. Marianne and Louise said that something upset him but I don't know what the hell it is," he told Mathias. Mathias looked thoughtful.

"Well, I remember him mentioning he liked some kid a few months ago. Maybe the kid got into a relationship with someone else and that upset him?" Mathias suggested.

"But he's broken off contact with everyone for like four months now. I can't see him being that upset," Matthew said. Mathias shrugged.

"The way he talked about the kid made it seem like he really liked them...whoever they are," Mathias said with a shrug.

"Why do you keep saying kid?" Matthew asked curiously.

"'Cause they're around our age I think," Mathias replied casually and Matthew looked surprised.

"You think it was Elise?" Matthew asked curiously. Mathias stared at him. "You know, Gil's crush. Do you think it was Elise?"

Mathias shrugged. "It could be. But wouldn't that be against the Bro Code or whatever?" Mathias asked skeptically.

"Which could be why Gilbert's been avoiding us – because if he was upset about Elise being with someone else he wouldn't be able to tell us because then Lars would get pissed," Matthew replied, feeling as though he was reaching an epiphany. "It's all making sense now," Matthew said eagerly.

"But wait, Elise isn't dating anyone," Mathias said.

"But wasn't she dating Vash at the time?" Matthew asked. "And Vash is Gilbert's cousin too so it's like, even worse, right?"

"True," Mathias agreed. He laughed. "You should be a detective or something – watching you figure that out was so pro," he joked. Matthew grinned.

Mathias stayed over for an hour longer before remembering he had to get to his part time job and left, his pants dry and his stomach full [Mathias had raided the fridge and ate the leftovers from last night's dinner].

Matthew hid the very last present and checked off his list of people he needed to get presents for just in time. Marianne and Elizabeth walked into the house, the two of them shaking the snow off of their jackets and sighing happily at the warmth inside.

"How was your day?" Marianne asked as she spotted Matthew checking off his list on the couch.

Matthew grinned. "Great," he said, adding Mathias to the list.

* * *

><p>"Are you sure Mathias isn't a dick anymore?" Lars asked testily as he and Matthew sat on the stairs, Santa hats on Matthew's head and a star on Lars' [one that Antonio had put on him after realizing that Lars' head looked astonishingly like a Christmas tree and no one would let Lars take off the star]. Mathias had yet to appear but Matthew was still trying to get Lars to not kill the other boy when he finally came.<p>

"I swear," Matthew promised and Lars let out a huff.

"He's gonna have to prove that he's no longer a manwhore that's after our sisters," he muttered.

"D'you think Gilbert's going to come to the party?" Matthew asked, changing the subject quickly. Lars shrugged.

"He better. He can't use the exam excuse anymore because what kind of university gives their students exams during Christmas break?" Lars asked and Matthew agreed. Matthew decided to keep silent about his Elise theory, not wanting to cause some unwanted drama between Lars and Gilbert.

The doorbell rang just then and Matthew automatically stood to go open the door. Alyssa zoomed past, however, and Matthew watched as she threw open the door to reveal Mathias.

"Mathias is here," Matthew announced and Lars tensed up, standing up as well. "He's bringing the person he's in love with," he added.

Lars snorted. "I doubt _he's_ in love with anyone. It's probably just his whore of the week," Lars said snidely.

The two watched as Mathias shook off his jacket, moving aside so the other person could get in.

Matthew's jaw dropped.

"I-is that...?" Matthew asked quietly.

"No fucking way," Lars swore, staring at the newcomer in horror.

"Since when...?" Matthew squeaked, still not able to believe it.

"Hi Erik!" Alyssa said cheerfully, taking Mathias' and Erik's jackets from that. "Your sister's already here – hope you enjoy the party!" she said, closing the door and skipping away to put the jackets away.

Mathias looked around curiously, saying something to a bored looking Erik before spotting Matthew and Lars and waving cheerfully. Matthew waved back, still in shock. Mathias and Erik walked towards them, Mathias beaming at them as they neared.

"Hey guys!" Mathias said cheerfully. "You guys know Erik, right?"

"Yeah," Matthew said, smiling politely at Erik.

"I'm leaving," Erik announced, walking away to join Tino and Svea. Matthew and Lars blinked in surprise as Mathias kept smiling.

"Is Erik the person you were talking about?" Matthew asked hesitantly. Mathias nodded.

"I've known the guy since I was a kid but I've never thought of him that way until recently and it's weird, because Erik hates me – or he _says_ he hates me – but I feel like I'm making progress with him," Mathias replied cheerfully. "It'll take me a few years before Erik even starts liking me, but I don't care," he added.

"I forgive you," Lars said suddenly, making Matthew and Mathias stare at him.

"Y-you do?" Mathias asked, looking surprised yet pleased.

Lars nodded. "If you honestly are going to wait years for Se_ñ_or Stoic to fall in love with you, you _must've_ changed," he replied and Mathias grinned.

The three hung out after that, Natalia joining for a while before going back to her friends, making Mathias tease Matthew relentlessly – something Lars was happy to join in on. It was like the three of them hadn't ever had a falling out.

As Mathias told Lars a particularly amusing story about pranking Svea and Eva, Matthew looked around at the party goers, excited for tomorrow, when his parents and older brothers would be coming over to celebrate Christmas day with his sisters and him, along with their closest friends.

He caught Natalia staring at him from across the room and grinned at her, his eyes furrowing in confusion as Natalia, instead of smiling, started nudging her head to the left. He glanced to the direction Natalia was nudging at and his jaw dropped.

"Gilbert!" Matthew exclaimed, leaping to his feet.

"And then Erik-what?" Mathias said, looking surprised.

"Gilbert's here!" Matthew said eagerly, pointing to where the older boy was standing, talking to Marianne and Antonio.

He leapt off the stairs and began to walk towards him, Lars and Mathias eagerly following behind him. Gilbert didn't seem to notice them, laughing hysterically at whatever Antonio had just said.

"Gilbert!" Matthew called, waving frantically, and finally Gilbert looked up, his laughter dying away.

"Uh hey, guys," Gilbert said, grinning at Lars and Mathias and nodding at Matthew.

"Dude, we all thought you died or something," Lars accused and Gilbert looked sheepish.

"I got caught up with my university work, I guess," Gilbert said, shrugging. He grinned again, quickly adding, "But at least I'm back for a while, now!"

Natalia turned up at that moment, hooking arms with Matthew. "Hello, Gilbert," she said politely. Gilbert stared at their arms and glanced at Matthew, giving him a 'really? _Her_?' look and Matthew glared at him.

"Hey...Natalia?" Gilbert asked, making sure he was getting the name right. Natalia nodded. "How long have you guys been dating?" he asked casually.

"Since August; remember? I swear I told you this already," Matthew said, rolling his eyes at Gilbert's forgetfulness. Gilbert laughed.

"Dude, I'm too awesome to care about your life – excuse me for forgetting," he teased and Matthew laughed, pleased. It had been months since he last saw Gilbert and it still felt like nothing had changed; which was good. Matthew had feared that Gilbert could reappear and be completely different; possibly depressed about whomever it was Louise and Mathias had told him about.

The night flew by as Matthew, Lars, Mathias and Gilbert spent the rest of the night together [with Marianne and Antonio as well but Lars spent most of his time getting annoyed by Antonio's quirks]. Natalia joined them occasionally with Elise, Matthew watching Gilbert suspiciously whenever Elise and he talked, Mathias' theory on his mind. Eventually the party goers began to file out so they could get some sleep before the Christmas day formalities of visiting family and Matthew was surprised to see Gilbert being one of them. Typically after a party hosted by Matthew and his sisters, Gilbert would stay over; either taking over the guest room or camping out in Matthew's room [not that Matthew wanted Gilbert to share a bed with him because that would be creepy and he was in a relationship already so why was he still thinking about sleeping next to Gilbert-] and pigging out on whatever Matthew and Marianne made for breakfast the very next day. He supposed Gilbert wanted to spend some time with his own family and waved the older boy goodbye as he left, he and Louise being the last two people to leave the party.

"Merry Christmas, Mattie!" Alyssa said cheerfully as she flopped on down on the couch.

"How do you still have so much energy?" Matthew asked, feeling exhausted as he moved her legs and sat down next to her.

Alyssa shrugged, sitting up. "Maybe being not drunk gives me more energy," she said, grinning.

"WHO PUT MISTLETOE IN THE KITCHEN!" they heard Elizabeth shriek as their older sister came stomping into the living room. Marianne followed, looking exasperated.

"You are such a prude, Elizabeth; live a little for once!" she exclaimed, tossing the ineffective mistletoe away.

"No arguing tonight, guys; it's Christmas!" Alyssa said quickly before Elizabeth could whirl around and retort angrily. Marianne sighed and took Elizabeth by the arm, leading her to the couch where Alyssa and Matthew were sitting on.

"Alyssa is right. We should be happy tonight. It's a day for family," Marianne declared, sitting down next to Matthew, throwing her arms around him and Elizabeth. Matthew grinned, pulling Alyssa in and putting his arms around both. Alyssa put both her arms around Matthew and even Elizabeth joined in, putting her arms around Marianne's waist and leaned in so she could reach the other two.

"Merry Christmas, guys," Matthew said happily.

* * *

><p>Alyssa ran around the living room, laughing as Peter shrieked happily, clapping his baby hands eagerly as she pretended he was an airplane.<p>

"Mum, swear you'll never have any more children after this, please?" Elizabeth asked, watching Alyssa and Peter and looking exhausted. Matthew nodded in agreement. How many children were there in the Kirkland family now? Eleven?

Victoria Kirkland laughed, her blue eyes twinkling good-naturedly. "After you and Mattie and Al and James and Daniel and Sean and Noah all left, your father and I felt like something was still missing," she said cheerfully.

"What about me, Jack and Ruby?" Riley deadpanned, staring at their mother. It amused Matthew to see that Riley still had a tendency to wear baggy clothing, successfully confusing anyone who had no idea what gender Riley was.

"Yes, well, three kids certainly aren't enough after dealing with seven at a time," their mother replied teasingly, making Riley frown as Matthew chuckled. "Speaking of Jack and Ruby, where are those two?" she asked suddenly, looking around.

"Jack is outside playing with Kumajiro and Irwin," Matthew replied. "I think Ruby's painting with Marianne or something, I'm not sure," he added, shrugging. Matthew, Elizabeth, Alyssa and Marianne had only come home an hour ago from visiting Marianne's family when they found their mother and younger siblings waiting for them on the porch. Marianne had already prepared food in advance, so after putting the food into the oven, she disappeared to go entertain Ruby with her art supplies. "Where are the others?" he asked curiously, remembering that only half the family was there.

"Your father's gone to pick up Noah and Daniel; Sean and James said they'd be coming along later," their mother replied. Riley smirked.

"James doesn't want to come and see Marianne here," Riley remarked, making Matthew and their mother laugh and Elizabeth blush. It was a popular joke amongst the younger siblings; the fact that Elizabeth was now dating their eldest brother's ex-girlfriend was hilarious.

"That would certainly be awkward," Victoria agreed, looking amused.

"Mum, you aren't supposed to laugh with them," Elizabeth grumbled, her cheeks a bright red.

"I'm sorry, dear, but it's funny – you have to admit it," Victoria said, chuckling in spite of it.

"Dow Awy, dow!" Peter pleaded as Alyssa rose the baby high in the air.

"Alright, down it is," Alyssa said, setting Peter down onto the floor, letting him wobble towards their mother.

"He's so precious when he walks," Alyssa cooed, joining them on the couch beside Riley, changing the channel to MTV – much to Riley's horror.

"Mum, are we gonna open presents soon?" Ruby asked, walking into the room with Marianne following behind her.

"We can't open presents before Dad and the boys get here; you know that, Ru," Victoria told her gently as Ruby pouted.

"Hullo Peter," Elizabeth murmured as Peter waddled towards her. Peter paused and stared at her curiously, as though he did not remember which sister she was.

"Awy?" he asked hesitantly.

"Nope, I'm Aly!" Alyssa said cheerfully, sitting cross-legged beside him. "That's Icky!"

"Alyssa, don't teach Peter to use that god-awful nickname," Elizabeth hissed.

"I...ggy? Iggy?" Peter repeated, still looking confused. Alyssa, Matthew and Marianne laughed as Elizabeth looked horrified.

"Iggy! I'm gonna call you that now!" Alyssa cheered, putting her hand up for Peter to enthusiastically high-five.

"Why is it always me?" Elizabeth muttered, leaning against the couch in exasperation. Marianne chuckled, leaning over Matthew to kiss Elizabeth gently before retreating to the kitchen to check on the Christmas dinner.

An hour later the Braginksi family came for Christmas dinner, Victoria finally getting the chance to meet and interrogate Ivan and Natalia [much to Alyssa's and Matthew's horror]. Lars and Elise arrived soon after with Antonio, Gilbert, Louise and the Vargas siblings following soon afterwards. As Marianne, Antonio, Feliciano, Lovina and Matthew began setting down food, their father Albert arrived with the eldest of the Kirkland children.

"This is going to be a tight squeeze," James grunted as he shoved Sean so he could sit down.

"We're going to need some of the girls to sit on our laps," Gilbert said lightly, winking at Elise.

"Alright. Louise, wanna sit on my lap?" Lars asked, making Louise and Gilbert [and Feliciano, but no one saw him but Matthew] glare.

Matthew sat down in between Natalia and Gilbert, suddenly realizing why Elizabeth had bought a giant dining table for their dining room. Marianne, at the time, had complained about what a waste of space such a large table was for such a four people, but as twenty-three people sat down, Elizabeth's purchase was suddenly a godsend.

Dinner was noisy – as expected with such a large group of people – and Matthew struggled to keep up with the conversations going on around him. He eventually gave up and joined Natalia in silence, the two of them holding hands under the table. Gilbert was uncharacteristically silent, Matthew noticed.

"Marianne, how do you manage to make such a good meal every single time?" James moaned, loudly pushing his chair away from the table, rubbing his stomach absently.

Marianne smirked, winking at James. "I'm just _very_ talented," she said cheerfully, rising to clear up the empty dishes.

"You are," James replied, smirking back.

"I'll help you clean!" Elizabeth exclaimed, standing up quickly. The Kirkland clan and Marianne hid smiles as Elizabeth noisily began taking empty plates, stomping to the sink to begin washing them.

"She's so cute when she's jealous," Marianne murmured in amusement as she joined her girlfriend by the sink.

"I still find it funny that you lost Marianne to our own little sister," Daniel remarked, clearly amused. James scowled at him and they could hear Marianne chuckle from the sink.

"I'm afraid we should get going," Katyusha apologized, standing up as well. "We promised our parents we would be back in time to go visit our cousins in Mississauga."

"I'll walk you to the door," Matthew offered, standing up with Natalia and Ivan.

"I'll come too!" Alyssa offered, already racing ahead.

Katyusha bid goodbye to Matthew and Alyssa, going outside first so she could get the car warmed up when Ivan and Natalia joined her.

"Bye, Ivan!" Alyssa exclaimed, throwing her arms around Ivan. Natalia and Matthew made identically disgusted faces as the two began to kiss.

"Let's go outside," Matthew suggested and Natalia nodded, the two heading outside before Ivan and Alyssa could get more intense.

It was cold outdoors and Matthew let out an involuntary shiver as he held hands with Natalia.

"The dinner was very nice," Natalia said, pulling Matthew into a hug before he could freeze.

"I hope you like your present," Matthew said, putting his arms around her. Matthew's present for Natalia was in the car with the other gifts the Braginski family had gotten.

"I hope you like yours," Natalia replied, smiling. Matthew leaned down to kiss her.

"I love you," he said dreamily, pressing foreheads with her.

Natalia's eyes widened. "W-what?" she asked, sounding startled.

"I love you," Matthew repeated, surprised he was even saying it. But it felt right; they had been dating for at least five months now.

"O-oh," Natalia said, still looking shocked. Before she could say anything more, Katyusha drove onto the driveway, waving at Natalia to get into the car. "I'll see you on New Years' Eve," she said quickly, rushing off before Matthew could say goodbye.

"Goodbye, Matvey," Ivan said from behind Matthew, opening the door for Matthew before joining his sisters in the car. Matthew and Alyssa watched the car drive away into the night.

Antonio and the Vargas siblings were the next to leave; apparently Antonio was accompanying them and their father to Church or something like that, Matthew hadn't been paying attention when Antonio was telling Marianne. They thanked everyone for the presents and left, Lars and Matthew retreating to the living to play video games – soon joined by Jack, Riley and Gilbert. Elise and Alyssa took Louise and Ruby upstairs with Victoria joining them with Peter. Matthew's older brothers and their father stayed in the dining room, talking animatedly about whatever it is the Kirkland men liked talking about. Elizabeth and Marianne were nowhere to be seen.

Lars and Elise left soon afterwards, Elise explaining that they had promised to spend some time with their parents before Christmas was over. By this time, all of the Kirkland children under eighteen [and Louise] were asleep; the only exception being Matthew. Matthew and Gilbert retreated to his room, neither of them really willing to join the men in the kitchen.

"How's university?" Matthew asked Gilbert absently as Gilbert fiddled with his presents, which were lying on his lap.

"Boring," Gilbert said with a shrug, carefully peeling off the wrapping paper from Marianne's present. "I hate how Marianne uses such cool looking shit to wrap her presents; every time I rip it I feel like I'm ripping up the fucking Mona Lisa," Gilbert muttered to himself, wincing as he heard a ripping sound.

"She enjoys torturing people like that," Matthew replied, rolling his eyes.

"Sadistic bitch," Gilbert muttered. Eyes lighting up, Gilbert finally removed the wrapping paper with a flourish, letting out a whoop when he realized what it was. "How did she know I wanted this?" he demanded, staring at the latest CD of his favourite band.

"You're welcome," Matthew said cheerfully.

"You are officially on my awesome list," Gilbert said happily, opening the CD case and then closing it again.

"Thanks," Matthew said, rolling his eyes. "And thanks for the books; did Marianne tell you I wanted them?" he asked, reaching over on his bed to pick up one of Gilbert's presents, the memoir of Anthony Rapp, the actor who originally played Mark in RENT [Matthew's and Gilbert's favourite musical].

"Icky did, actually," Gilbert said, smirking at Matthew's surprised face. "Or Iggy, as Alyssa is now forcing us to say," he corrected, rolling his eyes.

The two fell into a comfortable silence as Matthew began flipping through his books, Gilbert standing up to find and plug in Matthew's radio so he could listen to his new CD.

Matthew hummed along as music filled the room, recognizing some of the tunes back when they first came out and Gilbert excitedly linked them to him. Gilbert reached over from his spot on the floor for one of the books he had given Matthew and began flipping through it; Gilbert rarely ever read in front of other people [he liked to claim that he didn't like reading but Matthew knew better, judging by the massive bookshelf at Gilbert's house and the fact that Louise preferred reading non-fiction books as opposed to the many fictional stories on the shelves].

"So, are you ever going to explain why you became a hermit all these months or are you waiting for me to ask?" Matthew asked finally, looking up at Gilbert from his book.

"What are you talking about?" Gilbert asked, still reading, his foot tapping to the beat of the song that was playing.

"The last time I talked to you was in August," Matthew replied flatly.

"We talked yesterday, didn't we?" Gilbert asked absently, rolling onto his stomach, still not looking at Matthew.

"You know what I'm getting at," Matthew replied, putting his book down and fixing Gilbert with a hard stare. Gilbert continued to ignore Matthew, Matthew still staring at him. Eventually Gilbert gave in and looked up, sighing.

"I was busy with school," he said.

"Try again," Matthew said.

"What are you? My girlfriend?" Gilbert demanded and Matthew's stomach made an awkward flip flopping feeling.

"No, I'm just a friend who's concerned that his extrovert of a friend managed to successfully cut off contact with the entire world for a good fiveish months," Matthew retorted.

Gilbert sighed. "Fine. There was someone...I guess I liked them a lot and stuff and then they went and started dating some next person and I was pissed," he said finally.

Matthew blinked. "You were so pissed that you broke off contact with everyone for five months?" he asked.

"I was really pissed," Gilbert specified. "I really liked them and just when I thought I was getting somewhere with them...they were suddenly screwing some next person," he said, shrugging.

Matthew frowned, looking thoughtful. "Was it Elizaveta?" he asked finally. Gilbert stared at him.

"What?" he asked, confused.

"The person you liked. Was it her?" he asked.

"No! God, fuck no. Liz is like a freaky sister to me," Gilbert said, looking disgusted. "A freaky, kind of scary, sometimes batshit _insane_ sister," he added.

"Was it Roderich?" Matthew asked and Gilbert sputtered, looking even more disgusted.

"The PANSY?" Gilbert exclaimed, horrified. He reached over to grab one of Matthew's socks that had been lying innocently on the ground and threw it at Matthew's head. "I'm officially not talking to you after that," he sniffed, returning to his book.

"Seriously, Gil," Matthew said, tossing the sock back at him. "Who was it?" he asked.

"You don't know them," Gilbert replied, still reading. "They're from my university," he added.

"Maybe Iggy knows them," Matthew said hopefully.

"Iggy goes to Ryerson, dude. She doesn't know the U of T campus kids," Gilbert replied and Matthew made a face.

The two fell back into a comfortable silence, one of them occasionally saying something random and starting up a conversation which soon faded back into the comfortable silence.

Louise eventually woke up, startled that she had managed to fall asleep in someone else's house and quickly informed her brother that it was time to go home, something Gilbert did with a surprisingly lack of reluctance.

The Kirkland men drove out to get a hotel room the moment it was realized that MIA house [Matthew & Marianne/Iggy/Alyssa (as it was now referred to thanks to Alyssa, who decided that since Marianne wasn't a Kirkland yet, referring to the house as the Kirkland residence didn't make sense)] wasn't large enough for their gigantic family. Jack and Riley, both not wanting to have to share a bed with their mother and younger sister, accompanied James, Daniel, Sean, Noah and their father to the hotel. Brittany opted to share the guest room's bed with Ruby and Peter, reminding her husband to come pick them up early so they could make the hour-long drive home.

Kumajiro came from hiding in Matthew's closet [honestly how did that dog always sneak in there without Matthew knowing?] and flopped onto Matthew's bed, his tail wagging as Matthew absently scratched his belly.

Gilbert had been uncharacteristically distant today, Matthew mused to him, frowning. Clearly, whoever the person was who had rejected Gilbert or hurt him or did whatever to him was a complete and utter douche. Matthew had never seen Gilbert be so detached from everyone before.

Matthew's eyelids began to droop as he mused over who the person could be. He recalled a Hera and an Aleksandar both posting on Gilbert's wall on Facebook. Perhaps it could be them? Or that Sadiq guy who had once commented on Gilbert's status [that had been about how awesome he was] with a heart [though that could've been sarcastic, considering the guys Gilbert tended to hang out with]?

Matthew was so busy trying to figure out who Gilbert's mysterious crush was that he completely forgot that Natalia never said 'I love you' back.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: -Important Author's Note That's Not About The Story- Sorry for the lack of an update for such a long time, guys. These past few weeks have been hard on me. I would've updated earlier, but a close friend of mine committed suicide a few days ago and it's been hard on me and my friends. He was our group's Iceland so right now, looking at Hetalia kinda hurts. Writing's helping me cope, so perhaps I won't take so long updating. **

**But on to the Author's Notes! Because this chapter introduced the entire Kirkland clan, the notes are rather long. **

**Christ, this chapter was 15 pages on MS Word /sobs. Sorry for putting you through all of that 8D**

The Kirkland clan goes as follows:

James [Scotland] - 27 years old  
>Sean [Ireland] - 26 years old<br>Daniel [North Ireland] - 26 years old (twins with Sean)  
>Noah [Wales] - 25 years old<br>Elizabeth [England] - 21 years old  
>Matthew [Canada] - 17 years old<br>Alyssa [America] - 16 years old  
>Jack [Australia] - 15 years old<br>Riley [New Zealand] - 14 years old  
>Ruby [Wy] - 12 years old<br>Peter [Sealand] - 1 year old

Their parents are in their late forties right now.

Their names were just chosen off of sites; apparently those names are most popular in their respective countries so I chose them~

I picture the elder kids [James, Sean, Daniel, Noah, Elizabeth, Matthew and Alyssa] to be like the Weasley family from Harry Potter. James is Bill, the cool older brother; Sean and Daniel are Fred and George, the prankster twins; Noah is Charlie, the quieter but more athletic brother; Elizabeth is Percy, the intelligent and ambitious snotty sister; Matthew is Ron, the brother who is kind of in the shadow of his brothers (but still my favourite of the group :3); Alyssa is Ginny, the spunky extrovert~

Oh, Irwin is Jack's dog.

Matt's Christmas present from Gilbert is one of the books I got for my birthday 8D I wanted to put a RENT reference just because I wrote a Hetalia version of RENT a while back and Gilbert was in the role of Mark 8D

Hera is fem!Greece and Aleksandar is Bulgaria.

Sorry for such a long chapter/author note D: Hopefully I didn't forget to add anything. This chapter was fun to write though; I'm sorely tempted to write a prequel starring Elizabeth and a side story about Erik waking up the next day and finding out what he had done. Actually, I've already started writing a bit of both, but I'm not sure if I'll continue them xD

**Review?**


	9. Chapter 9

_Erik - Norway_

_Mathias - Denmark_

_Svea - Fem!Sweden_

_Eva - Fem!Iceland_

_Lars - Netherlands_

_Marianne - Fem!France_

_Elizabeth - Fem!England_

_Alyssa - Fem!America_

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Nine:<span>

"Your sisters like hosting a lot of parties," Natalia remarked as people roamed about, talking loudly with drinks in their hands.

"Iggy's a party animal, what can I say?" Matthew said drily as his older sister stormed by, a drunken Marianne chasing after her. Natalia laughed and leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder. "I love you," Matthew said dreamily, kissing her on the forehead. Saying that felt like such a relief – like they were a proper couple now.

"O-oh," Natalia said, looking startled. Before she could say anything else, Lars appeared, grinning his 'oh hey I'm a cock-block' grin.

"You need to get laid," he said cheerfully to Matthew, making Matthew roll his eyes at him.

"Actually, I think you're the one who needs to get laid. I get plenty of ass...love," he quickly corrected, noticing Natalia giving him a look. Lars rolled his eyes.

"Whatever," he scoffed. A pair of freshmen girls who Alyssa was friends with [that girl had friends from _every_where] passed by, attracting Lars' attention. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to ask if one or both of those girls want to be my midnight kiss," Lars said slyly, slinking off.

"Creep!" Matthew called out after his friend. He pitied those girls. Lars, when he was getting his creep on, was unstoppable.

"I don't see why it's so important for people to have someone to kiss at midnight on New Years' Eve," Natalia remarked.

Matthew shrugged. "Tradition, I guess? This is first year I've actually had someone to kiss," he admitted. Natalia giggled.

Because Ivan and Alyssa were now occupying Matthew's and Natalia's favourite spot to make-out [honestly, neither felt like they were ever going to use that corner now that Ivan and Alyssa had tainted it with their goddamn insatiable libidos], Matthew and Natalia found a spot on the couch to just chill, soon joined by Tino and Svea.

"Did you see Mathias?" Tino asked, sinking down next to Matthew.

Matthew shook his head, confused. "Nah. Why?" he asked.

Svea rolled her eyes as Tino smirked, pointing to the living room's entrance. There was Mathias, happily making out with none other than Erik.

"What," Matthew said flatly as Natalia stared at them in confusion, both of their eyes widening. "I swear Erik wanted nothing to do with Mathias," he said.

"He does," Tino replied.

Matthew frowned. "Then why...?"

"Drunk," Svea said as Tino laughed.

"Erik doesn't drink as much as we do so his tolerance is pretty low," Tino explained.

"How much did he have?" Matthew asked in awe as Erik eagerly kissed Mathias, who looked like he was in heaven.

"A lot," Svea replied, shaking her head as they saw Erik drunkenly grab Mathias' ass. "Poor Eva," she added, nudging her head towards the silver haired girl standing next to Raivis, another freshman. Eva was making horrified gagging sounds, looking disgusted.

"Is Mathias drunk too?" Natalia asked curiously.

"No. He's going to vividly remember tonight," Tino said, chuckling.

"Idiot," Svea scoffed, rolling her eyes.

Eva joined the group just then, looking irritated. "And people wonder why I don't like admitting he's my brother," she declared, flopping down next to Svea, who patted her knee sympathetically.

"On the plus side; Mathias will be your new brother-in-law," Matthew teased.

"Please. We're all going to be attending Mathias' funeral 'cause Erik is going to _murder_ him when he finds out what happened tonight," Eva said with a snort.

"I wouldn't tell him," Tino and Mathias both said in unison, both exchanging amused smirks.

"Though," Tino mused thoughtfully as an afterthought, "Mathias would tell him. He'd be so pleased that he and Erik are getting somewhere that he'd tell Erik."

"Idiot," Svea repeated and the group nodded their agreement.

Lars appeared at the moment, frowning. "Those girls said no...dunno why. Their loss, though," he said, shoving Matthew and Tino apart so he could sit down.

"Girls typically don't like creeps, just sayin'," Matthew said helpfully and Lars scowled.

"Now who am I supposed to kiss at midnight?" Lars demanded. He glanced at Eva and suddenly looked thoughtful. Eva returned the glance, looking wary. "Hey _Björk_-"

"No."

"Why not?" Lars demanded as everyone else laughed.

"'Cause I don't want to?"

"Like that's a good reason," Lars scoffed.

"I'm too young," Eva shot back.

"Twelve is my age limit, babe. You're plenty old enough for me."

"You are _such_ a creep."

"It's my middle name," Lars replied cheekily.

"Is he _ever_ going to give up?" Eva asked Matthew.

"Nope. I suggest you say yes and then run away," Matthew said and Lars scowled.

"You're a douche," Lars snarled.

"Love you too, bro~" Matthew said cheerfully.

The group continued to talk after that and before any of them knew it, the countdown to midnight had begun. The group split up; Matthew and Natalia went upstairs to find some privacy, Svea and Tino thought it would be cool to celebrate the New Year outside and no one really knew what happened to Lars and Eva, though Matthew was sure Lars spent the final countdown trying to convince Eva to kiss him.

"This was fun," Natalia said cheerfully as they sat at the top of the staircase. She leaned against Matthew's shoulder and looked very peaceful. Not too far away, they could hear people chanting, already at ten seconds.

"TEN, NINE, EIGHT..."

"I love you, Nat," Matthew said blissfully, gently lifting up Natalia's chin so that they were looking at each other.

"...FIVE, FOUR, THREE..."

"Y-yes," Natalia said awkwardly.

"...ONE! HAPPY NEW YEAR!" people shouted around them. Matthew didn't pay attention to them, already kissing Natalia.

It never hit him that she looked uncomfortable the entire time.

* * *

><p>Matthew tapped his foot absently as he waited for Natalia to leave her class. The bell had already rung and most of the students had already left, save for the few people who were staying after school for extracurricular activities. Matthew made a mental note to sign up for some club to keep him busy. He had already finished submitting his applications to various universities and since his marks didn't look like they were going to drop any time soon, he needed something to keep him busy but wasn't too much of a commitment.<p>

"Oh," Natalia said as she came out of the classroom and spotted Matthew waiting for her. "I thought you would've gone home," she said, walking past Matthew to get to her locker.

"Nah, I promised we were going to get double doubles at Tim's, didn't I?" Matthew said cheerfully, following her.

"I can't go to Tim Hortons today," Natalia said quickly, looking away. She put her backpack down and began to fiddle at her lock.

"That's alright, maybe we can go tomorrow," Matthew said, leaning against the adjacent locker.

"I don't think I can make it then either," Natalia said quietly, opening her locker and pulling out binders from her backpack to put away.

"Oh," Matthew said, frowning. "I guess we can figure something else out then," he said optimistically. "Do you need a ride home?" he asked suddenly. "I could drive you – I have the car today because Alyssa said she's going with Ivan," he told her.

"No, I told Ivan I was coming with him," Natalia replied. Matthew laughed.

"You're gonna end up being a cockblock, considering this is _my_ sister we're talking about. She probably wanted to do something else other than getting dropped off home in that car. Nice," Matthew said in amused appreciation. Natalia didn't smile back, quietly locking her locker and picking up her backpack. "Are you alright, Nat? You look upset," Matthew asked finally, cluing in on Natalia's mood.

"It's nothing," Natalia said quickly, walking away. Matthew jogged to catch up to her.

"Seriously, what's wrong?" Matthew asked, concerned. Natalia took a deep breath in.

"We need to break up," she said finally, not making eye-contact with Matthew. Matthew froze, looking shocked; his stomach feeling like it had just been dropped from a twenty story building.

"What?" he asked finally.

"You're a really nice boy but I don't think I'm ready for such a relationship. We're only seventeen – I haven't gone to university yet and education right now is my main priority and I can't risk getting caught up with love. I don't love you back and I _tried_ but I don't – I like you a lot – but it's not fair for you. You deserve to be with someone who loves you back just as much and..." Natalia took a deep breath in, "I'm sorry."

"Wait, is this because I told you loved you?" Matthew asked, confused. "I won't say it again if-"

"That's not the point!" Natalia interrupted. "I really like you but...I'm not ready for a very serious relationship. We're still very young and we have our futures ahead of us and I really can't afford risking it. In order to keep my marks up I need to devote myself to schoolwork and that's not fair to you. You need someone who can be a good girlfriend and spend as much time as you and love you as much as you love them," she said, looking upset.

"I don't need any of-"

"I'm sorry, but it's final. I really hope we can stay friends, though," Natalia added, blinking frantically. "I should go," she said, biting her lip. She leaned forward to give Matthew a final goodbye kiss on the cheek but Matthew moved away, staring steadily at the wall past Natalia. Natalia swallowed thickly and backed away, quickly walking out of the school. Matthew continued to stare at the wall silently as he heard his sister's voice greet Natalia enthusiastically and the sounds of Ivan pulling out of the school's parking lot. Matthew let out a sigh before walking out of the school himself, ignoring the cold air biting at his unprotected ears.

Fuck, he needed some timbits.

* * *

><p>Matthew pressed the lock button twice and trudged up his porch, numbly unlocking the door to his house and walking in.<p>

"Oh there you are, Matthew, I've been waiting for you," Elizabeth said, walking up to him briskly. "Would it be possible for you to go to the store and buy-"

"Mathieu! I'll be needing your help attempting this recipe someone gave me at work~!" Marianne said, waving a piece of paper in the air.

"Mattie! D'you wanna go on a double date with me and Ivan? Ivan's boss gave him four tickets to some show playing downtown so you and Nat could come and-"

"We can't," Matthew said flatly, interrupting Alyssa.

Alyssa looked crestfallen. "Are you sure? Could you at least as Nat and-"

"We can't," Matthew repeated, kicking his shoes off and shaking the snow out of his hair.

"Why not?" Alyssa demanded, looking annoyed. "I mean, you haven't even asked Nat if she wants to and—"

"We broke up," Matthew said finally, silencing Alyssa.

Marianne, Elizabeth and Alyssa looked horrified.

"_What_?" they chorused in equal amounts of shock.

"Tell me everything!" Alyssa demanded, grabbing Matthew by the arm and dragging him to the couch. Elizabeth took Matthew's backpack and placed it on the ground, following them and Marianne into the living room.

"She broke up with me. She said she didn't love me enough and that she wasn't ready for that type of relationship and she needed to focus on her studies and stuff," Matthew said numbly, staring out into space.

"I'll kill her," Alyssa growled, standing up.

"No!" Matthew exclaimed, dragging Alyssa back onto the couch. "It's alright, seriously. We've agreed to be friends and stuff," he said, not really meaning it. "I just need some time to calm down or something," he added.

Elizabeth and Marianne exchanged looks. "I'll stop by at the store," Elizabeth said, reaching down to take the car keys from Matthew's hands.

"I'll get the stash," Marianne declared.

"I'll get pillows and sheets," Alyssa offered eagerly.

Matthew stared at them, stupefied. "What are you guys doing?" he asked.

"The protocol for break-ups," Marianne informed him.

"The what...?" Matthew asked, still confused.

"Men," Marianne snorted, rolling her eyes.

"You'll see," Elizabeth replied, briskly walking out of the room. Marianne followed suit and after quickly patting Matthew on the head, Alyssa ran out, leaving Matthew alone in the living room.

"Well at least _you_ didn't ditch me," Matthew remarked to Kumajiro, who ran into the room and leapt onto Matthew's lap. Personally, he still felt like crap – after all, how could Natalia just dump him like that? It came out of nowhere; they had been so happy together before that. It was also particularly embarrassing; Alyssa and Ivan were still going strong so Matthew was still going to have to see Natalia, whether he wanted to or not. Perhaps after a few weeks he'd be over her and it wouldn't be so awkward to be around her.

"But probably not," Matthew mused out loud, scratching Kumajiro's stomach.

"I'm back!" he heard Alyssa cry out and before Matthew could turn, he was bombarded with an avalanche of pillows and bed sheets.

"What is all of this even _for_?" Matthew asked as Alyssa began to arrange the pillows around him, making Matthew feel like he was sitting on a cloud.

"I have returned!" Marianne declared dramatically, a large amount of DVDs in her hands. "I have the Notebook, August Rush, the Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants, Love Actually, Sex and the City, Mean Girls – I also have the sequels of both, wouldn't that be fun to mock – and Kill Bill Volume One and Two," Marianne recited, dropping the DVDs onto Matthew's lap. "Choose whichever one to watch first," she said, sitting down on the other side of him.

Before Matthew could ask why, the front door was heard opening. "I've got ice cream!" They heard Elizabeth exclaimed. "Chocolate, French Vanilla, Pistachio and Maple," she listed, walking into the living room and handing Alyssa the chocolate tub of ice cream, Marianne the pistachio and Matthew the maple. "I'll get spoons," Elizabeth added, disappearing into the kitchen.

"Ice cream? In _January_?" Matthew questioned, confused.

"Protocol, bro. After a breakup, one must indulge in fattening ice cream and refuse to leave their bed slash couch and go on an all night chick flick marathon," Alyssa said, adopting an uppity British voice.

"You're lucky it's a Friday – we can marathon all weekend," Marianne added, taking the spoon Elizabeth handed to her.

"And if we run out of chick flicks, we'll have to find some more empowering woman movies for you to watch," Elizabeth added. She paused. "Or, I suppose, empowering man movies, since you aren't a woman," she remarked.

"Oh, and everyone go change into sweatpants," Marianne commanded. Elizabeth and Alyssa nodded, both standing up.

"But _why_?" Matthew asked in exasperation.

"Post break-up protocol," the other three said in unison and Matthew sighed. He followed his sisters and Marianne upstairs and quickly got changed. He wondered if he should even bother going back downstairs when Alyssa appeared, dragging him back to the fluffy cloud that had become their couch.

"Oooh, can we watch Sex and the City?" Alyssa begged once they had all snuggled in. "I love that movie!"

"Sex and the City it is," Marianne agreed, standing to put the movie in the DVD player.

Matthew opened his tub of ice cream warily. This was going to be a long night.

* * *

><p>Matthew sniffed in a manly sort of way as Cady and Regina awkwardly smiled at each other. It awesome that Regina finally found an outlet for her kinda scary temper problems and it was pretty hilarious that Kevin and Janis were dating. Hilarious, but totally awesome.<p>

Matthew phone began to buzz, vibrating on the coffee table not too far away. Matthew reached over to pick it up, feeling bloated from all that ice cream.

"Hello?" Matthew asked quietly.

"This is Ivan," Ivan said from the other line. "Natalia just told me about what happened. I am very sorry, Matvey."

"It's alright, you don't have to be," Matthew said quickly.

"I will break up with Alyssa, if you want me to," Ivan offered.

"What? No! Just because me and Natalia broke up doesn't mean you have to!" Matthew exclaimed, dropping his voice just in time. "I'm serious – don't break up because of us. Me and Nat are fine; we'll stay friends and stuff," he said, actually meaning it this time. Man, how did chick flicks and ice cream manage to get him over Natalia ish? Freaky.

"Will you be alright?" Ivan asked, concerned.

Alyssa snorted softly in her sleep. Matthew glanced at her, and then at Elizabeth and Marianne on his other side. Both women were fast asleep; the two of them still holding hands.

Matthew smiled.

"Yeah, I think I'll be just fine."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: And so, Nat and Matt are no more. Ah well; GILBERT, TIME TO SWOOP IN AND MAKE YER MOVE~ **

**Thank you for waiting such a long time between updates~ Writing's helping me cope loads, and I've recently gotten obsessed with Homestuck [just finished it today, oh yeah]. Any Homestuck fans out there? Is it just me, or do Dave and Prussia have a lot in common? Apart from the white-blonde hair, red eyes, coolness, ownage of blogs, and having brothers with weird fetishes? I dunno, Dave always gives me Prussia-vibes, the way Karkat gives me Romano-vibes. But everyone I've asked said they never saw the similarities between Dave and Prussia soooo... I guess it's just me xDD**

**Review?**


	10. Chapter 10

_Erik - Norway_

_Mathias - Denmark_

_Eva - Fem!Iceland_

_Lars - Netherlands_

_Elise - Belgium_

_Marianne - Fem!France_

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Ten:<span>

"Why is everything so _pink_?" Lars wondered as he walked into Matthew's house, looking around with horrified awe. Matthew winced, looking embarrassed.

"Blame the girls; Valentine's Day is coming up, so they want to celebrate by puking pink everywhere," Matthew said, rolling his eyes. "Sometimes I wish they weren't so..."

"Girly?" Lars supplied and Matthew nodded. Lars rolled his eyes. "Because the thought of girls acting girly is unthinkable," he said sarcastically.

"Shut up," Matthew replied, leaping upstairs to put his backpack away and joining Lars in the kitchen.

"Are you going to make hot chocolate or what?" Lars asked impatiently, his face still pink from being outside for so long.

"I will, calm your balls," Matthew replied, pulling out the hot chocolate powder.

"Is Mathias coming?" Lars asked as he sat down on the dining table, frowning as snow that he hadn't managed to shake off of his hair fell onto his lap.

"In a few minutes; he just texted me to say he's gonna try walking Erik home or something," Matthew replied. Lars snorted.

"Like that's gonna happen," he remarked.

Matthew shrugged. "Well, considering Erik still hasn't killed Mathias for what happened on New Year's Eve, I think Mathias has a chance," he replied.

"Does Erik even know?" Lars asked curiously.

"Björk says she came home in time to see Mathias running around their house screaming while Erik chased them...so I'm guessing he does," Matthew replied.

"True," Lars agreed. "Björk's cute," he remarked, making Matthew turn to stare at him with confusion.

"What?" Matthew asked.

"Björk's cute," Lars repeated.

Matthew stared at him. Since when did Lars make random comments like that – unless...

"_No_," Matthew gasped in horror.

"What?" Lars asked innocently.

"You like _Björk?_" Matthew demanded.

"No!" Lars protested. "I don't _like_ her like her; I just think she's cute. Maybe I'll ask her out for Valentine's Day or something," he added.

"And that totally doesn't mean you like her," Matthew replied sarcastically.

"I don't! I think she's pretty jokes and she's cute and dude, I want to get laid," Lars moaned. Figures. Matthew rolled his eyes and turned back to making hot chocolate.

The doorbell rang and Matthew motioned to Lars to open the door as he began pouring the hot chocolate into three mugs.

"'Sup, bitches?" Mathias asked cheerfully, sauntering into the kitchen.

"Lars wants to fuck Eva," Matthew told him innocently. Lars, who had been standing behind Mathias, suddenly looked horrified as Mathias froze in his place.

"He wants to fuck _who_?" Mathias asked, looking shocked.

"Eva," Matthew replied, sounding gleeful.

"But she's like a sister to me!" Lars exclaimed, whirling around to face Lars. "How could you, bro? What if I banged _your_ sister?" he demanded.

"You did," Matthew and Lars said in unison.

"Both of our sisters," Matthew clarified.

Mathias looked sheepish. "Right; forgot about that," he said, rubbing the back of his neck as he sat down. "I guess I give you my permission to screw her – it's only fair," he replied.

"You guys _do_ realize that whether or not you have Mathias' permission, whether or not you guys bang is up to Eva?" Matthew asked, handing Lars and Mathias their mugs of hot chocolate before taking his own and joining them at the dining table.

"Why would she say no to me?" Lars demanded. "I'm too awesome for that!"

"Whoa," Mathias said, his eyes widening, "that was a total Gilbert moment, bro."

"Speaking of everyone's favourite egotist, anyone heard from him?" Lars asked, rolling his eyes.

"He commented on my status a few weeks back," Matthew said, blowing over his mug lightly.

"Which one?" Mathias asked, wincing as he drank, the hot chocolate burning his tongue.

"My relationship status," Matthew replied and Lars and Mathias nodded.

"You talk to Natalia at all after the breakup?" Mathias asked curiously. Matthew shrugged.

"Kind of. It's still awkward seeing her but whatever," Matthew said casually. The three fell into a peaceful silence, trying to drink their hot chocolate without burning their tongues off.

"D'you think I should ask Erik out for Valentine's Day?" Matthias asked suddenly.

Lars and Matthew stared at him.

"I think he's suicidal," Matthew remarked lightly.

"We should intervene before something serious happens," Lars agreed.

"Yeah; my suit's too small for me so I won't have anything to wear for his funeral," Matthew added.

"This isn't a suicide mission," Mathias huffed, looking annoyed. "I have a pretty good chance of scoring with Erik."

"What, are you going to get him really drunk first? Because according to some people, that's rape," Lars replied.

"_No_, I'll have you know that Erik and I have gotten quite far in our relationship," Mathias said snootily.

"Just because Erik doesn't kill you when you stand near him doesn't mean he's going to put out for you," Matthew informed him.

Mathias glared at them both. "You guys don't believe in the magic of Valentine's Day," he sniffed.

"I didn't know there were any other magical holidays apart from Christmas," Lars deadpanned.

"Why must you mock me?" Mathias exclaimed.

"I'm home~!" a voice called out from the door way just then, as Matthew and Lars rolled their eyes at Mathias.

"We're in the kitchen!" Matthew called out.

"Where all men should be," Alyssa teased, appearing in the kitchen, her cheeks flushed from being outside. Her jaw dropped when she spotted the still steaming cups of hot chocolate in the boys' hands. "You didn't make any for me?" she demanded, horrified.

"I'm sorry—"

"SINCE WHEN WERE YOU SO CRUEL, MATTIE? MY OWN BROTHER, FORGETTING TO MAKE ME HOT CHOCOLATE!

"I _said_ I'm sorry-"

"I'LL JUST GO OFF AND RETIRE IN MY COLD LITTLE PRISON OF A ROOM. PERHAPS, IF I WISH IT, I WILL PERISH FROM THE FREEZING-"

"Knock it off with the fake British accent, Al, I said I was sorry," Matthew snapped, annoyed. Alyssa pouted.

"I was just practicing for drama class," she sniffed, flipping her hair back prissily. "And I don't accept your apology," she replied.

"Well, in Matt's defence, he thought you were banging Ivan so he didn't bother wasting a cup on you," Lars piped up, looking amused. Mathias let out a snort and Matthew hid a smile as Alyssa turned bright red.

"I-I wouldn't be doing anything like _that_ with Ivan!" she exclaimed, embarrassed.

"Why not? You did it with me, and we weren't dating," Mathias remarked.

"Well that's different," Alyssa replied.

"Oh, I get it," Mathias said, nodding, "you like to fuck without having commitments."

"What – no!" Alyssa howled as the boys laughed. She glared at them. "You guys are such dicks, honestly. I'm leaving," she said, walking away.

"Where are you going?" Matthew called out.

"To Ivan's," Alyssa replied, the sounds of her putting on her coat and shoes could be heard from the front door. "Shut up!" she exclaimed as Lars and Mathias began wolf whistling and jeering. The boys heard the door slam shut promptly after that.

"You guys are dicks," Matthew said, shaking his head and rolling his eyes.

Mathias and Lars exchanged grins. "What can I say, we're just that cool," Lars said cheerfully.

Mathias had to leave soon after that for his shift that work, leaving Lars and Matthew to retreat to the living room to watch MTV, making commentary all the while, successfully amusing themselves more with their banter more so than the actual shows.

"Teen Mom's more fun to watch when you spend your time making fun of the girls," Matthew remarked as it went to commercial break. Lars hummed his agreement, looking thoughtful.

"Matt," Lars said suddenly, "are you free on Valentine's Day?"

Matthew turned to stare at his friend, looking amused. "Are you asking me out?" he teased. "I'm very flattered, but I don't go for creeps," he added.

"Shut up," Lars said, shoving Matthew. "But seriously, are you?" he asked, sounding serious.

"Uh...yeah, I guess. Why?" Matthew asked curiously.

"Will you ask Elise out?" Lars asked. Matthew blinked at him.

"Ask out _Elise_? As in, your _sister_?" Matthew asked, confused. "_Why_?"

"I think she likes you; she's always talking about you and stuff. And as her older brother, I have to keep her happy and shit so ask her out," Lars said.

"Lars," Matthew said in exasperation, "I think it's cute that Elise likes me but...it's been a month since me and Natalia split up and I'm not yet ready to go on dates and stuff again."

"Could you at least talk to her? I don't want the thought of her being home alone while I'm out with some next girl to guilt trip me on one of the only days I get laid," Lars said. Matthew sighed.

"Fine, but you owe me," Matthew said finally.

Matthew stood on Lars' porch, feeling stupid. Lars was out at work so Matthew didn't have to worry about Lars being there, at least. Matthew rang the doorbell and stepped away nervously.

The door finally opened and Elise's head popped out. "Hey, Matthew!" she greeted cheerfully. "Lars is at work right now," she informed him, looking apologetic.

"No, I know," Matthew said quickly. "I came here to talk to you," he said.

Elise blinked, surprised. "O-okay...come on in!" she said, holding the door open for Matthew. Matthew walked in and sighed happily as warm air hit him. Elise giggled at his expression. "It's really cold outside, isn't it?" she asked.

"Way too cold for a February," Matthew agreed.

"I can't wait until its summer again," Elise moaned and Matthew nodded his agreement. He followed Elise upstairs to the den, flopping onto their couch happily. It had been too long since Matthew had seen that couch. They needed some bonding time, stat. Elise giggled at the goofy grin growing on Matthew's face and sat down crossed legged on the ground across from him.

"What are you doing?" Matthew asked curiously as he watched her cut up various pictures of her and her friends and placing them on a pink piece of paper.

"Making a collage to put in my locker," she replied cheerfully, arranging a particularly silly picture of her and Alyssa making faces at the camera.

"Ah," Matthew replied, nodding. He didn't quite understand the need girls had to decorate a locker they were only going to use for one year but he didn't question it, preferring to instead just watch Elise cut and paste and repeat.

"Are you ever going to tell me what you were going to tell me?" Elise asked finally after a few minutes.

Matthew blinked at her. "What?" he asked.

"You said you came to talk to me. So spill; what's up?" Elise asked, staring at him curiously. _Oh_, right. That. Matthew blushed, looking embarrassed.

"Nothing," he said quickly. Elise's eyes narrowed.

"Seriously, spill," she said, and it was at that precise moment that Matthew noticed the scissors in her hands.

"Will you go out with me on Valentine's Day?" he blurted out, leaning away from the scissors.

Elise blinked in surprise, her eyes widening. "W-what?" she asked, her cheeks turning pink.

Matthew blushed as well, mortified. "," he said quickly, burying his face into the couch.

"_Lars_ put you up to this?" Elise demanded.

"Well he said you liked me and-"

"Oh, sweetie," Elise said, looking contrite. "I don't have a crush on you."

"You don't?" Matthew asked in relief, looking up.

"I don't," Elise said with a nod.

"But Lars said you talk about me all the time," Matthew pointed out.

"That's just because I feel so bad about what happened between you and Nat. You guys were such a cute couple...it's depressing," Elise said. Matthew sighed.

"Yeah, it is," he agreed.

There was a silence.

"I'm really sorry if my idiot brother made you think I liked you or something," Elise said gently.

"No, it's alright – seriously. I was kinda scared about dating you, to be honest. I was only doing it because Lars would rip my balls off if I didn't," Matthew replied, grinning. Elise giggled. "I'm guessing you have plans though, for Valentine's Day," he prompted and Elise flushed.

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't," she said cryptically. Matthew smirked.

"You like someone, don't you?" he teased and laughed as Elise turned an even darker red.

The two hung out for a little more before Matthew decided to get home, bidding Elise farewell and laughing as Elise promised him she'd give Lars hell for jumping to conclusions and embarrassing the two of them like that. Matthew was relieved that Elise didn't like him; dating a friend's sister once was enough.

Pity he still had no plans for Valentine's Day, though.

Matthew frowned at his laptop, his eyebrows furrowed. How should he conclude his essay about King Lear? He absently chewed at the inside of his cheek as he tried to figure out a decent concluding sentence that didn't sound awkward or clichéd. God, Matthew _hated_ essays.

His phone buzzed on the coffee table nearby, distracting him. Matthew leaned forward on the couch to pick it up.

_Dude__cnt__make__it__to__ur__house__2day,__im__goin__out__w/bjork,_the text [from Lars, presumably] read. Matthew rolled his eyes. Great, another person out on Valentine's Day while he was sitting alone writing essays.

_use__protection_, he replied.

The reply came a moment later. _Ohshit,__thnx__for__reminding__me,_ it read. Matthew fought the urge to roll his eyes again and tossed the phone onto the seat beside him.

It was four pm and Matthew was sitting in almost darkness while his sisters were out doing romantic things. He scowled at nothing in particular and continued to type, his eyes hurting from looking at such a bright screen in a dark room. Of course he could've put the lights on, but goddammit, Matthew was going to mope and moping he was.

Matthew hit ctrl s on his laptop, saving his finished essay before printing it out wirelessly on the printer. He had completely finished his homework and now he was completely bored. Matthew considered his options. He could either stay at home, mope some more and watch quality trashy reality TV on MTV, or he could go outside and buy some maple cookies.

The answer was obvious.

Matthew waved a confused Kumajiro farewell as he locked the house, tightening the scarf around his neck [a Christmas present from Katyusha] as he walked towards the sidewalk.

It was very dark outside but also very quiet. Matthew didn't mind the cold air biting at his exposed cheeks; the feeling was refreshing after being stuck in a hot house alone. A car passed by occasionally, sending extra gusts of wind in his direction. Despite it being only four, the streets were practically empty and the sky was very dark. It felt like it was midnight. Matthew suppressed a shudder [that was totally from the cold and not from the fact he was all alone and if someone were to attack him no one would be able to hear him scream because he wasn't a pansy and would never scream – he would yell in a manly sort of way] as he cut across the small parking lot to the convenience store.

The warm air hit him as the sliding doors opened, making Matthew loosen his scarf ever so slightly. He made a beeline towards the snack aisle, wondering if he should just get as much food as possible and make himself a little feast instead.

He wandered around the aisle in search of his favourite brand, mentally making a list of things to buy as well for his feast.

"Matthew?" a voice asked behind him just then, making him start.

"Gilbert?" Matthew asked, turning around to face the newcomer. Gilbert was standing in front of him, looking just as surprised to see Matthew as Matthew was to see him. "Don't you live on residence?" he asked curiously.

Gilbert snorted, reaching over Matthew [oh God why did Gilbert smell so nice and why the hell was Matthew noticing this, dudes don't normally notice how their friends smell 'cause seriously, that's _creepy_] to grab a box of chocolate chip cookies. "My roommate kicked me out so he could get some and since my dad's out on a business trip and Louise is out with Feliciano and is staying over at his house, I'm buying shit to eat because, as efficient as both my father and sister are, they completely forgot to restock the fridge," he said, rolling his eyes. "What about you? Don't you have epic plans for tonight?" he asked, dropping the box of cookies into his grocery basket.

Matthew rolled his eyes. "Like I'd be able to land a date," he scoffed. "I'm making myself a feast pour un," he said, shuffling away from the cookie aisle to buy some chicken and other ingredients.

"Make it pour deux or whatever? That way I don't need to eat microwavable shit," Gilbert asked hopefully, following him.

"Sure – at least my day won't be _too_ pathetic now," Matthew said and Gilbert grinned.

"'Course not," he said cheerfully, helping Matthew pick out the best chicken breasts to buy, "I'm too awesome for that."

Fifteen minutes and over twenty dollars later, Matthew and Gilbert were exiting the store and walking back towards Matthew's place, Matthew rolling his eyes as Gilbert complained about how he was holding the heavier bags.

"Suck it up, Princess," Matthew teased as Gilbert dramatically proclaimed his unprotected fingers were going to freeze and fall off.

"I'm not a princess, pansy," Gilbert shot back.

"Asshole."

"Whore."

"Sluu."

"Skank."

"Cunt."

"Motherfucker."

"Only if it's your mother~"

"Fuck you."

"You wish you could," Matthew said with a wink, shoving his bags at Gilbert so he could fish out his keys and unlock the door. He smirked as Gilbert swore loudly, already walking into the house. Kumajiro ran towards them, yipping and jumping around Gilbert's feet as the older man walked into the house, grumbling under his breath about 'jerky boys named Matthew who can't hold anything for shit and made awesome people like himself nearly freeze their fingers off trying to help'. Matthew shot back with how he was offering to feed Gilbert, and Gilbert shut up immediately.

"What are you going to make?" Gilbert asked curiously, perched upon the kitchen's counter. Marianne would have a heart attack if she ever saw him, Matthew noted to himself with a grin.

"A feast," Matthew answered, pulling out pots and pans.

"Specific," Gilbert snorted, rolling his eyes. "Can I help?" he asked.

Matthew stared at him. "You can cook?" he asked disbelieving. Gilbert glared at him.

"You're talking to the guy who grew up with Antonio and Marianne with Feliciano and Lovina living next door. Of course I can cook – I bet I can cook better than you," he added, smirking.

"Oh really?" Matthew asked, eyebrows raised. "You wanna prove that?" he challenged.

"Obviously," Gilbert replied.

"Top Chef style?" Matthew asked. Gilbert grinned.

"You're on," he said.

The two ended up crashing on the couch shortly after eating; their stomachs about to burst from the amount of food in them.

"So who won?" Gilbert asked, burping loudly, trying to push Kumajiro off his stomach.

"I did," Matthew said, hiccupping slightly. He leaned over to the coffee table to grab a water bottle. He couldn't reach it, his fingertips just grazing the exterior. Oh well, he could hold his breath instead.

"Wait, why did you win?" Gilbert demanded. "My food was clearly superior to yours."

"Yeah but this is my house so by default I win," Matthew replied.

"Douche, that's cheating," Gilbert said, shoving Matthew. Matthew groaned, falling backwards and landing back on top of Gilbert. "Fuck, you're heavy," Gilbert grunted as Matthew's head fell onto his lap.

"You're just jealous," Matthew murmured, feeling sleepy.

"Of what? That you have a fat head?" Gilbert demanded.

"Mhm," Matthew said, drifting off.

"Dude, are you falling asleep?" Gilbert asked after a pause. Matthew didn't answer. "Matt, I'm going to push you off of the couch if you don't answer me," he threatened.

"Lemme sleep," Matthew groaned irritably.

"Well I want to sleep too," Gilbert huffed. "So move over so I can lie down."

Matthew inched off of Gilbert's lap, groaning as Gilbert flopped into a lying position.

"We're gonna break the couch," Matthew remarked. Gilbert snorted.

"That'll piss Iggy off," Gilbert said cheerfully. "And I'm always up for pissing her off," he added. "But shut up now; I'm trying to sleep," Gilbert said after a pause, curling around Matthew and wrapping his arms around the younger boy.

"I'm not a pillow," Matthew complained, cheeks burning.

"So?" Gilbert's muffled voice asked. "You're cuddly and I'm sleepy. Now shut up or sleep on the floor," he commanded.

And so Matthew shut up, eventually giving in to sleep [it wasn't hard, really, since Gilbert was warmer than Kumajiro and warmth and a full belly always made Matthew sleepy]. They slept for the rest of the night, both unaware of when Matthew's sisters returned from their respective dates, looking surprised at how peaceful Matthew and Gilbert looked.

It had probably been Matthew's best Valentine's Day ever.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Good lord, it's been a while, hasn't it? I apologize; Nanowrimo and school kept me busy for these past few weeks.**

**I'm ridiculously fond of calling Iceland [normal and genderbent] Bjork now. I'd imagine Matt and Lars don't pronounce it right either; they just say Buh-jork. Or Jork, if they're being lazy and don't feel like pronouncing the Buh. Mathias doesn't call Eva Bjork as much as the other boys do, but when he does, he pronounces it the proper way.**

**Until next them - whenever that may be**


	11. Chapter 11

_Erik - Norway_

_Mathias - Denmark_

_Alyssa - Fem!America_

_Lars - Netherlands_

_Elise - Belgium_

_Marianne - Fem!France_

_Elizabeth - Fem!England_

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Eleven:<span>

"Can you stop drawing penises on my notebook?" Matthew snapped, snatching his notebook away from Mathias. Mathias pouted.

"Can I at least finish that one?" he asked.

"No, go draw on your own notebook," Matthew said, frantically erasing at the drawings. "Just because you suddenly like dick doesn't mean you to draw it everywhere," he added, scowling as he made a hole in his paper.

"I don't like dick – I just like Erik," Mathias protested. "Well...I think. I dunno, I think I'm just gay for Erik but I dunno for sure, since I've never liked a dude before," he mused.

"Is it possible just to be gay for one person?" Matthew questioned. Mathias shrugged.

"I guess so," he replied.

"Are you two working?" a voice asked them from behind. Matthew and Mathias froze.

"Sí, Señor," Mathias and Matthew chorused in unison. Señor Martinez rolled his eyes and kept walking, giving any kid who wasn't doing the work in their cuadernos a stern look.

"So, what are you gonna do for the March break?" Mathias asked, now doodling what appeared to be Erik onto his notebook.

Matthew shrugged. "Sleep, do any projects our asshole teachers give us, sleep, wait for my uni letters, sleep...and maybe take a road trip to Montreal with the family," he said.

"With your family? Like, all of them?" Mathias asked, surprised.

"Nah, probably just me, Al, Iggy and Marianne – maybe Jack and Rile if they wanna come too," Matthew answered.

"Oh, true. For a sec, I thought your entire family was coming," Mathias said, looking bizarrely relieved. Matthew laughed.

"Nah, there's way too many of us for a road trip," Matthew said.

"Pretty much. Your family's like, Jon and Kate Plus Eight Plus Five Million More," Mathias agreed. Matthew rolled his eyes.

"Who even watches that anymore?" he asked.

"I do! I was very upset when Jon and Kate broke up!" Mathias exclaimed, looking scandalized. Matthew face palmed.

"What about you? You doing anything for March break?" Matthew asked. Mathias grinned.

"I'm going to try asking Erik out," Mathias said cheerfully.

"Suicide is never the option, bro," Matthew said with mock-concern, putting a hand on Mathias' shoulder. Mathias shook off the hand, looking annoyed.

"You and Lars make it seem like I'm in love with _Lovina_ or something," he grumbled. "Erik's not that dangerous," he added.

"Well, yeah, but this is _you_ we're talking about. You have the uncanny ability to make everyone want to kill you," Matthew teased, making Mathias scowl. "But good luck – hopefully Erik doesn't beat you up _too_ much," he added.

"Why am I friends with you," Mathias muttered, punching Matthew in the shoulder.

"Because we're cool and you're lonely and need friends," Matthew replied cheekily.

"I have other friends," Mathias scoffed.

"Like?" Matthew prompted.

"Tino...and Svea..." Mathias answered hesitantly. Matthew snorted.

"Svea? She'd kick your ass if she ever found out," Matthew said with a laugh. Mathias grimaced.

"She would, fucking Viking woman," Mathias said, muttering the last bit under his breath. Matthew grinned.

The bell rang soon after that, just before Señor Martinez caught them not working again. Matthew and Mathias, realizing to their dismay that they had not finished any of their class work and would have to finish it at home, put away their things and exited the classroom, walking towards the cafeteria for lunch. Lars joined them, looking disgruntled as he explained his rather low mark on an accounting quiz to them.

Spotting Tino and Svea talking to Erik, Mathias grabbed Matthew and Lars by the arms, forcefully dragging them towards the table. Lars stopped protesting as soon as he saw Eva join them; evidently their one time date last month had left an effect on Lars. Ivan appeared soon afterwards, ignoring the pointed glare Eva was giving him [the two never really got along for some reason].

It wasn't until halfway through lunch, while watching Erik wrestle Mathias's bear hug off of him, that Matthew realized that at their table, he was the only person who was not in a relationship or had feelings for someone else. The thought made him rather sad, absently glancing towards Alyssa's table of friends, where Natalia sat, smiling at something Elise said to her. He watched as Natalia giggled, leaning in to reply to Elise. Elise giggled as well, and Matthew's jaw dropped as her cheeks turned pink when Natalia put her hand on Elise's arms.

"Does your sister like girls?" Matthew blurted out, making Tino pause mid-sentence.

"_My_ sister?" Erik, Lars and Ivan asked in unison, surprised.

"Yours," Matthew clarified, nodding at Lars.

Lars blinked. "Random question much?" he asked, looking confused.

"Just answer it," Matthew replied. Lars shrugged.

"I dunno; 'Lise never tells me anything like that," he answered.

"I thought she liked dudes," Mathias piped up. "She slept with me, remember?" he prompted.

"Of course he remembers. We _all_ remember; you wouldn't shut up about how good she was for a month," Erik muttered under his breath, loud enough for everyone to hear. Mathias beamed.

"Jealous, Erik?" he asked, throwing his arms back around a horrified Erik.

"But yeah, I think she's straight," Lars said, rolling his eyes at Mathias before turning back to Matthew. "Any reason why you asked?" he asked as Matthew nodded and returned to eating his lunch.

Matthew shrugged. "Just wondering," he said.

As the bell rang, Matthew rose to his feet; picking up his backpack and watching Elise do the same.

"You coming?" Lars asked, turning back to face Matthew when he realized Matthew wasn't walking with him.

"Go on without me," Matthew said and Lars shrugged, following Mathias out of the cafeteria.

"Hi, Matt," Elise greeted warmly as he approached their table. Alyssa was already gone; presumably either rushing to class or to have a quick make-out session with Ivan. Matthew awkwardly nodded to Natalia, who nodded back.

"Can I talk to you privately for a second?" Matthew asked, turning back to Elise.

Elise blinked in surprise. "Alright," she said, glancing at Natalia.

"I'll see you in class," Natalia murmured, giving Matthew a curious look as she left the two alone.

"What's up?" Elise asked the moment Natalia was gone.

"Do you like girls?" Matthew blurted out. Elise stared at him.

"What are you talking about?" she asked in confusion.

"Do you like girls? The way Elizabeth does or the way Marianne does?" Matthew prompted. Understanding filled Elise's eyes and her mouth opened slightly in surprise. Matthew watched as her eyes darted around the cafeteria at the few stragglers who were taking their time to get to class.

"Meet me at my locker after school. We'll talk then," she said, turning on her heel and rushing off before Matthew could say another word.

* * *

><p>"Where're you going?" Lars called out as Matthew walked past him at the end of the day.<p>

"I need to talk to someone," Matthew replied over his shoulder, successfully losing Lars in the throng of students in the hall.

He found Elise standing on tip-toe at her locker, her shirt rising as she attempted to put a binder and a textbook on the top shelf without them toppling onto her.

"Need help?" Matthew asked, amused as Elise finally gave up and threw the books inside her locker, slamming it shut before they could fall back on her.

"I'm going to regret doing that tomorrow," Elise remarked, shaking her head as she picked up her backpack.

"Get someone else to open your locker for you?" Matthew suggested, walking beside her down the hall. Elise grinned.

"I should do that. Good idea," she joked, and Matthew grinned as well.

The two walked in silence, Matthew holding open the door for Elise as they stepped outside into the cool spring afternoon. Matthew tugged on his hoodie's hood as he felt a few drops of rain hit his face. Elise mimicked the movement, pulling her hair out of her sweater as she did so.

"So..." Matthew said finally, after waiting in silence for Elise to start speaking.

"How did you find out I like girls?" Elise asked, not making eye-contact with him.

"Because obviously I'm not the only person who blushes whenever Natalia laughs at my jokes," Matthew replied and Elise's cheeks turned pink.

"I'm so sorry! I know it's totally wrong for me to like her and-"

"Why?" Matthew asked, surprised. Elise blinked.

"Well, she's your ex. I could never do that to you," she replied.

"Do what? It wouldn't hurt me if you guys dated or something," Matthew said, meaning what he meant. "You're a friend, Elise, and I want you to be happy. And I definitely don't want you to be miserable because of me," he told her.

Elise gave him a tentative smile. "Thanks," she said quietly, staring down at her feet. They walked along the sidewalk in silence, Matthew suppressing a shiver as a cold gust of air blew through them.

"So...how long have you known?" Matthew asked curiously.

"That I liked Natalia or that I liked...girls?" Elise asked.

"Both," Matthew answered. Elise bit her lip.

"With Natalia...I think it really hit me after you two broke up. She was really upset that she went and broke up with you, since you're a really nice guy, and she came to talk to me since I was friends with the both of you. That's when it hit me, I think," Elise replied slowly.

"And the girls part?" Matthew prompted.

"I don't even know about that part," Elise said, sounding a little frustrated.

"Do you like girls like Elizabeth or like Marianne?" Matthew asked. Elise stared at him before nodding in understanding.

"I think I like them like Elizabeth...I've never really been attracted to guys," she answered after a pause. "But...I'm not sure," she said, biting her lip.

"How come?" Matthew asked.

"Well, I _did_ lose my virginity to Mathias," she pointed out.

"So? Elizabeth slept with some guys too before she realized she was a lesbian," Matthew replied. Elise blinked in surprise.

"She did?" she asked. Matthew nodded.

"If I remember correctly, her first time was with Gilbert or something," Matthew said. "It was either her or Marianne who lost it to him, I can't remember," he added thoughtfully. He usually tried to block out those conversations whenever they happened.

Elise giggled. "That must be awkward for you," she teased. Matthew stared at her.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Well, don't you like Gilbert?" she asked.

"W-what? No – I don't like boys!" Matthew exclaimed, his cheeks burning up.

"O-oh!" Elise gasped, looking mortified as Matthew continued to sputter out how he was attracted to girls and girls alone. "I'm so sorry! I thought you liked him 'cause you were always talking about him and wondering where he was and you guys are really close and-I'm sorry!" she exclaimed, horrified.

The two continued to walk along the sidewalk in awkward silence, both of their cheeks extremely red. Approaching Matthew's house, Matthew bid Elise farewell.

"Will you tell my brother about this?" Elise asked him anxiously. Matthew shook his head.

"It's about you so you should be the one to tell him," Matthew informed her. Elise smiled at him.

"Thanks again," she said, leaning forward to hug Matthew. "And sorry about what I said about Gilbert," she added, her cheeks turning pink again. Matthew grinned.

"It's alright. It's a good thing Lars or Mathias didn't hear; they'd never shut up about it if they did," he joked and Elise giggled. Matthew waved at her as she walked away, before entering his warm [and dry (which was good, since the rain was starting to get worse)] house.

"Ha, you're wet," Alyssa snorted as Matthew walked into the living room.

"That's what she said," Matthew retorted and Alyssa scowled. On TV, Spongebob and Patrick were annoying Squidward for some reason or another. "You still watch this?" Matthew asked, dropping down beside Alyssa on the couch.

"Of course I do! Its quality TV," Alyssa defended. "Don't you agree?" she shot at Elizabeth, who had just walked into the living room.

"I identify with Squidward. Imagine being bothered by insufferable people all day," she said drily, walking to her spot on the armchair. Alyssa gasped, scandalized.

"Offensive!" she exclaimed, clutching her heart in mock agony. Matthew smirked as Elizabeth rolled her eyes.

The three watched cartoons for a while, until Elizabeth demanded to watch TV because Big Bang Theory was on. That reminded Matthew that he still had an essay to write, which prompted Elizabeth to nag Alyssa to do her chemistry homework – which brought on WWIII part cinq as the two began to argue whether or not she should. Matthew retreated upstairs to the sanctuary of his room to work, only returning downstairs when the telltale signs of Marianne's arrival were heard.

Dinner was made quickly, as Alyssa began to complain about the noise interrupting her Jersey Shore time. Matthew was then subjected to watching the show with the girls, forgoing their dining table to just sitting on the couch with their plates on their laps [with Elizabeth making sure they didn't spill anything]. Afterwards, Matthew offered to clean the dishes, Elizabeth forcing Alyssa to help him. As midnight rolled around, Matthew retired to his bedroom, the girls following him upstairs soon afterwards.

All in all, a fairly regular day, Matthew mused to himself as he crawled under the covers. Not too far away, Kumajiro made himself comfortable in his little bed. Matthew watched Kumajiro in amusement for a few minutes before sleep finally overpowered him and his eyelids drooped.

* * *

><p><em>Matthew kissed Gilbert's collarbone, moaning as the other boy's hand reached into his pants. <em>

"_No please, Gilbert," Matthew whispered, sighing with ecstasy as Gilbert began to..._

Matthew's eyes flew open with a start, his heart hammering loudly. His face and body were drenched in sweat and he was surprised to find that he was panting.

And that he was...well..._stiff_.

Matthew stared at his lap in horror, pulling himself up into a sitting position. Knowing it would bug him if he didn't do something about it, Matthew tiptoed into the washroom, returning back to his bedroom not too long afterwards. He numbly crawled back into bed and sat up, staring into the darkness with confusion.

Had he been dreaming about _Gilbert_? Him and Gilbert having...Matthew couldn't even think the word in his mind. The dream had come out of the blue. Maybe Mathias' newfound gayness was starting to rub off on him. _Urgh_, rub off – Matthew couldn't even think of that without his cheeks burning.

But why Gilbert? Elise's words echoed in his mind as Matthew replayed the dream.

"I'm not gay," Matthew said out loud to no one in particular, shaking the image out of his mind.

But there was no one awake to agree or deny that.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I SWEAR I DIDN'T GIVE UP ON THIS STORY. I just keep forgetting to update here as well as the kink meme 8D **

**HURRR HURRR you can tell I can't write smut AT ALL; my cheeks were so red from writing those two sentences ;A;**

**In case anyone's wondering, the "like Elizabeth or Marianne" thing is just Matthew's way of asking Elise if she's lesbian or bisexual. Matt's not too sure how he'd phrase that so he uses examples from his life to ask questions xD Plus, I'm adding this to my little universe headcanon that the group uses the Elizabeth or Marianne question whenever asking if someone is gay or bi. **

**Review?**


	12. Chapter 12

_Alyssa - Fem!America_

_Marianne - Fem!France_

_Elizabeth - Fem!England_

_Svea - Fem!Sweden_

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Twelve:<span>

Matt awoke with a start before groaning and rolling onto his stomach, burying his face into his pillow. Not _another_ dream. Or nightmare, really – Matthew wasn't quite sure what to call what he went through almost every night.

He rolled out of bed and limped to the washroom as fast as he could, not wanting his sisters to wake up and see his...Matthew shuddered, the locking the washroom door behind him. He came out not too long afterward, feeling better but still extremely disturbed. God, why did he always have to wake up like _that_? It wasn't like this was the first time either; back when Matthew and Natalia were still dating, Matthew would have similar dreams and would wake up the same way – only those dreams were _good_. Matthew decided he needed a glass of milk to calm his nerves and help him get back to sleep.

Matthew trekked down the stairs of his eerily quiet house, the soft breathing from Elizabeth's and Marianne's room overpowered by Alyssa's gentle [but rather loud] snoring. Matthew walked lightly, freezing up in horror when he stepped on a creaky stair. He crossed the hallway to the dark kitchen and walked in, wincing as the cool tiles hit his bare feet. He padded quietly to the fridge and opened it, blinking rapidly as the bright light hit his eyes. He pulled out the milk jug-thing and grabbed a mug from a nearby cupboard, adjusting the milk bag part before pouring himself a glass and putting away the jug. He then took his mug and walked to the microwave, putting the mug in for a minute and then waiting. As the microwave hummed to life, Matthew idly picked at a loose strand on his pyjama pants and reminded himself to find a shirt to wear [as he was shirtless] since it was starting to get colder in the house.

The microwave beeped to inform Matthew his milk was done and he walked forward to open and silence it before the girls woke up.

"Having milk?" a voice whispered into Matthew's ear as he pressed the microwave door open, pressing their bare [oh God oh God oh God oh God oh _God_] body against Matthew's bare back. Matthew's heart leapt into his throat and he whirled around, whipping his arm out to punch the other person in defense.

"G-Gilbert?" Matthew whispered in horror as the boy in front of him winced and rubbed his arm, backing away.

"Fuck, why'd you hit so hard?" he complained. Matthew saw a red mark on his arm and remembered guiltily that Gilbert bruised easily...which led him to remember his most recent dream.

Matthew flushed; his..._vitals_ twitching almost as he quickly glanced down at Gilbert's bare torso. "W-what are you doing here?" he asked, trying to keep his voice normal.

Gilbert shrugged. "Dad locked me out so Iggy let me in," he replied.

"W-why are you shirtless?" Matthew asked, attempting to sound casual.

"I sleep shirtless – just like you," Gilbert replied, lightly punching Matthew's stomach. Matthew's stomach lurched as Gilbert's hand came into contact with his skin. "Why're you up? It's around three," Gilbert remarked.

"Couldn't sleep. You?" Matthew lied, remembering his mug and taking it out and closing the microwave before his milk could cool down.

"Same. I was gonna watch TV 'til I fell asleep but I guess I'll just chill with you," Gilbert replied, throwing an arm around Matthew's shoulders [oh God oh God he was so warm and smelled like lotion and soap and the faint scent of axe – why was Matthew finding it so hard to walk] and taking Matthew's mug and taking a swig, leading the boy towards the guestroom.

"We don't want to wake up Elizabeth," Matthew reminded Gilbert as they entered the guestroom, breaking away from Gilbert's grasp and sitting down cross-legged on the bed. Gilbert rolled his eyes, handing Matthew back his mug, which was now half-full.

"It's not like we'll be having sex in here – she won't wake up," Gilbert promised and Matthew flushed, suddenly aware they were both on the bed.

"S-so, how's school?" Matthew asked nervously after a brief pause, sipping from his lukewarm milk [blegh; Matthew wanted to reheat it but that involved effort and Matthew was lazy and cold so whatever].

"Boring," Gilbert said, rolling his eyes. "You?" he asked. Matthew shrugged.

"Same, I guess," he replied.

"Did you get your university acceptances yet?" Gilbert asked curiously, poking Matthew with his toe. Matthew kicked back at the foot, sipping from his milk some more.

"Nah, but they should be coming in soon," Matthew replied. Gilbert nodded and the two fell into a silence. Gilbert nudged Matthew again with his foot and Matthew gave Gilbert an exasperated look. "Really?" he whispered, kicking Gilbert back.

"You're a jerk; first you punch me, now you kick me?" Gilbert accused, pretending to be in pain.

"I already said I was sorry; suck it up," Matthew shot back.

"I remember when you used to be a quiet little introvert. You were so nice back then – what happened?" Gilbert sniffed.

"My balls dropped," Matthew said sarcastically and Gilbert snickered.

"Probably," he said and Matthew rolled his eyes.

"You're _so_ mature," he said and Gilbert nodded his agreement.

"Obviously. I'm so mature, I'm practically Elizabeth," Gilbert remarked.

There was a pause.

"Oh God, did you just compare yourself to _Elizabeth_?" Matthew whispered, his eyes going wide. Gilbert blinked, his expression melting into one of horror.

"I _did_. Shit – can you imagine me like Elizabeth?" Gilbert demanded. Matthew covered his mouth to keep from laughing out loud.

"Can you imagine Iggy as a boy?" Matthew asked and Gilbert choked on air, coughing quietly as he laughed his wheezing laugh.

"Iggy would be such a priss as a dude," Gilbert agreed. "But what would his name be? Eli?" Gilbert asked. He paused. "Nah, that sounds too cool for Iggy," he decided.

"Well, Elizabeth was named after our grandmother..." Matthew mused.

"So she'd have your grandfather's name as a dude?" Gilbert questioned. Matthew shrugged.

"William?" Matthew asked. Gilbert made a face.

"Sounds too old fashioned. What kind of parent would name their kid William in this era?" Gilbert demanded.

"Well, our great-uncle's name is Arthur..." Matthew said trailing off. Gilbert stared at him, his eyes widening.

"Arthur Kirkland. That sounds _perfect_," Gilbert said in awe. "It sounds just like a boy Iggy."

"What about Alyssa? What'd she be like as a guy?" Matthew asked.

Gilbert looked thoughtful. "A cowboy," he decided finally.

"A cowboy?" Matthew repeated. Gilbert nodded.

"With glasses," he added. Matthew gave him a look and Gilbert looked defensive. "What? Can't you see it?" he protested.

Matthew shrugged. "I guess. But what would his name be? Al?" Matthew asked.

"I guess...your dad's name is Albert, right?" Gilbert asked. Matthew nodded. "Then I guess boy Al would be Albert junior. Or..." Gilbert snickered. "Alfred."

Matthew stared at him. "Alfred?" Matthew asked. Gilbert snickered some more. "What kind of dorky name is that? He'd get beaten up," Matthew protested.

"By us, most likely," Gilbert agreed, smirking. "So Arthur and Alfred Kirkland it is," he decided.

"What about Marianne?" Matthew asked eagerly. "He'd probably have some next fancy French name or something, I guess," he mused thoughtfully.

"Frank," Gilbert said, looking as though he had reached an epiphany.

"Frank?" Matthew asked skeptically. "Why would Marianne be named _Frank_ as a boy?" he asked. Gilbert shrugged.

"Because it's so un-Marianne. Can you imagine a smooth talking French boy named Frank?" Gilbert asked and Matthew couldn't help but laugh quietly at the thought.

"Marianne would kill us if she ever found out. At least name her something a bit more French," Matthew suggested.

Gilbert looked thoughtful. "Isn't Francis the French form or something?" he asked. Matthew shrugged.

"I thought Francis was an English name or something," Matthew said. "Isn't the French version François or something?" he asked. Gilbert made a face.

"But wouldn't that mean we have to add that squiggly thing under the c?" Gilbert asked.

"The cédille?" Matthew questioned. Gilbert nodded.

"Yeah. I'd be way too lazy to write that every single time, so let's keep it at Francis," he decided. Matthew rolled his eyes.

"Arthur Kirkland, Alfred Kirkland and Francis Bonnefoy? Those names are so stupid," Matthew remarked, shaking his head.

Gilbert laughed. "Yeah. They're not as cool as _our_ names," he said cheerfully. Matthew grinned.

"Oh I dunno, Gilbert's a pretty nerdy name," Matthew remarked. Gilbert looked offended.

"Well, so is Matthew," he sniffed.

"No it's not," Matthew said. "Matt Damon, Matthew McConaughey, Matt Dillon, Matthew Perry, Matt Leblanc, Matthew Fox, and Matthew Broderick aren't nerdy. They're famous and stuff. Name one famous Gilbert," Matthew challenged.

"Gilbert Blythe," Gilbert said automatically.

"Fictional characters don't count. And I didn't know you read Anne of Green Gables," Matthew teased.

"Why do you think I did?" Gilbert demanded.

"Because only someone who's read the books would know Gilbert Blythe's full name," Matthew replied.

"So you've read them too, haven't you?" Gilbert asked. Matthew blinked.

"Touché," he said and Gilbert grinned.

They talked for a while more - Matthew wasn't quite sure how long they talked, they lost track of time after a while. After finishing his milk, Matthew found himself getting drowsier and drowsier as he talked, but he didn't want to go to bed and leave Gilbert awake and alone.

Besides, if he fell asleep, there was the chance that he'd have _the dream_ again.

* * *

><p>Matthew's eyes blinked open sleepily as the first few rays of sunlight came through the window. He frowned, closing his eyes quickly. That was weird; Matthew was never woken up by sunlight. The way his bed was positioned prevented that from ever happening. As Matthew pondered how this was even possible, he felt his head rise up before sinking back down. Why was his head movie? Matthew lazily patted his pillow underneath him. What the fuck? His pillow was bizarrely smooth, save for some spare threads here and there. Matthew ran his hand over the pillow, wondering what the hell was going on.<p>

And that's when Matthew remembered hanging out with Gilbert in the guestroom...

...and he didn't remember ever leaving.

Matthew's eyes flew open, his heart hammering loudly. Matthew had been sleeping next to Gilbert, his arms around the older boy and his head resting on Gilbert's chest [oh God oh God oh God oh _God_ it had been Gilbert's _chest_ that he had been feeling up oh _God_ why was Gilbert shirtless and fuck, Matthew was never sleeping shirtless _ever again_ oh God oh God oh _God_]. Their legs were tangled together – much to Matthew's horror.

Matthew rose slowly as to not wake Gilbert. Oh God, if Gilbert woke up, it'd be so awkward. He'd tell Lars and the others and then Matthew would never hear the end of the gay jokes.

Untangling his legs away from Gilbert [why was this so incredibly awkward why did this always happen to him] Matthew stumbled out of the bed. He spotted his empty milk glass on the ground and grabbed it, turning on his heel and fleeing out of the room before Gilbert could wake up and discover him.

He could only pray that Gilbert didn't ever find out.

* * *

><p>Matthew got out of bed lazily, going to the washroom to brush his teeth. It was hard keeping his eyes open; he <em>really<em> needed to work on his sleeping pattern.

Trudging back to his room, Matthew slowly got dressed and walked downstairs, shrugging on his backpack [nearly stumbling and falling on his face, but he managed to keep his balance – God, his backpack was way too heavy] before dropping it outside the kitchen for some breakfast.

"Yo," Gilbert greeted as Matthew walked into the kitchen. Matthew lazily nodded at him and joined Marianne at the stove.

"Bacon," Matthew sighed happily, using a fork to put some on his plate.

"Gilbert demanded I make some," Marianne said, rolling her eyes as she put some hash browns onto his plate.

"Like fuck I'm not taking advantage of the fact there are pro chefs in this house," Gilbert said with a full mouth. Matthew rolled his eyes and sat across from him, glancing at the clock quickly. He had at least twenty minutes to eat before he had to drive to school.

"Where's Alyssa?" Matthew asked curiously.

"Basketball practice or some sport like that," Marianne replied.

"I still find it hilarious that your sister's more athletic than you are," Gilbert teased. Matthew glared at him. Gilbert smirked, and suddenly Matthew remembered why he was so tired. He had woken up because of a...dream, went to get milk, found Gilbert, chilled with him and then...Matthew suppressed a shudder. Considering how Gilbert hadn't said anything, it was safe to say that Gilbert hadn't woken up and see them sharing a bed and kind of cuddling – which was a relief.

"I thought I was making breakfast today," Elizabeth said in surprise, walking into the kitchen.

Gilbert laughed. "You? Cook?" he teased. Elizabeth glared at him.

"Why are you still here," she said flatly, walking over to Marianne and taking some food for herself, successfully manoeuvring away from Marianne's good morning kiss. Marianne rolled her eyes.

"Gilbert wanted me to make him food, so I did," Marianne told her. Elizabeth rolled her eyes at Gilbert, sitting down next to Matthew. She began eating before pausing and blinking. "Aren't you supposed to be at school by now?" she asked curiously, turning to Matthew.

"What do you mean?" Matthew asked, surprised.

"Doesn't your bell ring at eight?" she questioned.

"Well, yeah, but its seven thirty right now," Matthew answered. Elizabeth gave him a look.

"It's five past eight," she told him.

"_No_, look at the clock – it's eight," Matthew insisted, pointing at the kitchen clock. Elizabeth glanced at it and frowned.

"The minute hand isn't even moving; the batteries must've died," she said. Matthew blanched, staring at the clock in horror.

"You mean I'm _late_?" he yelped, leaping to his feet.

"Go on – I'll clear your stuff up," Elizabeth said.

"I'll eat your food so it doesn't go to waste," Gilbert added, reaching over to snatch up Matthew's uneaten bacon.

Matthew barely heard him, too busy worrying about what his teacher would say when he came running in late.

* * *

><p>"Yo, you got a letter," Alyssa announced as Matthew walked into the house after school. Matthew stared at her in surprise.<p>

"Don't you have rehearsal right now?" Matthew questioned. Alyssa was cast as one of supporting characters in their school's production of Hairspray and for the past few weeks, as show time was approaching, Matthew had seen less and less of his younger sister, Alyssa spending hours at school with her other cast mates.

Alyssa shrugged. "Mr. Karpusi's sick so rehearsal's cancelled for today," she informed him.

"Hm," Matthew grunted, kicking his shoes off and starting upstairs, taking them two at a time.

"Hey, wait!" Alyssa exclaimed, following him upstairs. "Aren't you going to read your letter?" she asked, waving it around.

"Later; I'm going skating with Tino and everyone. We might get to play hockey if we get there early enough and the rink is empty," Matthew told her.

"But this is from a university!" Alyssa protested. Matthew froze in the action of grabbing his skates from the depths of his closet. Kumajiro barked at them curiously from his spot on Matthew's bed, but the pair ignored him.

"Which university?" Matthew asked, butterflies suddenly flying around in his stomach.

Alyssa stared at the name on the envelope. "University of Toronto," she read out loud.

"Give it!" Matthew demanded, crossing over to Alyssa and snatching the letter from her, his heart hammering loudly. This was it; his very first university letter.

"Is Matthew going to open his letter?" Elizabeth called out from her bedroom. The duo heard her rush out of her room and sprint into Matthew's room. "I don't want to miss this!" she replied to their questioning looks.

"Marianne's gonna miss it," Alyssa remarked. Elizabeth frowned and then pulled out her phone.

"I'll record it," she decided.

"It's not _that_ big of a deal, you guys," Matthew said in exasperation as Elizabeth pressed record.

"It is to us – this is your very first university letter! It's a milestone!" Elizabeth exclaimed.

"Now open the letter!" Alyssa urged.

Matthew sighed, holding up the letter. "Here goes," he said finally, digging a nail into an open slit on top. He ripped the top of the envelope, shaking out the paper underneath. He scanned the words quickly.

"Well?" Elizabeth asked after a few minutes of silence.

Matthew looked up at them solemnly. Elizabeth's and Alyssa's eyes widened in horror.

"U of T sucks – McMaster and Western are loads better," Alyssa said quickly, grabbing her brother's shoulder reassuringly.

"And Ryerson's got good programs and amazing people," Elizabeth added.

"And plus U of T has a really large campus so it'd be a hassle walking from class to class," Alyssa continued.

Matthew smiled at them. "I guess that means I'll have to get good shoes, won't it?" he asked quietly.

There was a silence.

"YOU GOT IN?" Alyssa and Elizabeth shrieked in unison.

"I TOLD YOU I TOLD YOU I TOLD YOU!" Alyssa exclaimed, throwing her arms around Matthew, jumping up and down. Elizabeth rushed over to her younger siblings as well and hugged Matthew tightly.

"I'm so proud of you!" she said, the video she was taking apparently forgotten.

Matthew's smile grew. "Thanks guys," he said, hugging Alyssa and Elizabeth back. He had gotten into his first choice university! Matthew felt like floating away. This was insane – in a few months, Matthew could be going to university. It was hard letting the concept sink in.

"So are you going to call and accept or whatever?" Alyssa asked as they let go of each other. Matthew shrugged, folding the letter back and putting it into the envelope, tossing it lightly onto his desk.

"I'll wait to see if I get any more acceptances. Some of the other universities have really good programs, so I'll wait and see," Matthew replied.

"I'm so happy for you," Elizabeth said quietly, squeezing Matthew's shoulder. It was strange seeing Elizabeth look so happy; she wasn't one for showing affection towards her siblings often. Matthew grinned at her and her cheeks turned pale pink.

Matthew's phone vibrated just then, making the trio jump as it moved around on his desk. Matthew reached over to pick it up, pressing a button to check the text.

"It's from Svea – she says they're all waiting for me at the rink," Matthew said, glancing at his sisters.

"Go on – I'll call Marianne and by the time you get back, you'll have a heroes feast to eat!" Alyssa declared, adopting her corny dramatic British accent again. Matthew rolled his eyes.

"Thanks guys," he said, grinning.

* * *

><p>Matthew entered his house; breathing in Marianne's cooking and sighing happily. After playing his heart out [and winning, <em>obviously<em>], Matthew was starving.

"Marianne says dinner's almost ready," Elizabeth called out as he passed the living room. Matthew nodded his understanding and continued upstairs to put away his things and change into pyjamas. Kumajiro barked at him and leapt off his bed, scampering out of the room and towards Alyssa's room. Matthew sighed; Alyssa hated having Kumajiro in her room, ever since the day he chewed up her Converse shoes.

"Kuma..." Matthew groaned, dropping his stuff and following his dog.

He found Kumajiro sitting on Alyssa's lap on her bed, the girl absently petting his head.

"Sorry if he's bothering you," Matthew said with an eye roll, as Kumajiro shied away at the sight of his owner, apparently too comfortable to leave Alyssa's lap.

"It's okay," Alyssa said, sniffling. Matthew looked up from trying to pry Kumajiro off of her lap, only to see Alyssa crying.

"Hey, are you alright?" Matthew asked gently, surprised. It had been ages since he had last seen his sister cry.

"You're going to live on residence, aren't you?" Alyssa asked. Matthew blinked.

"For university? I guess...yeah," Matthew said slowly, shrugging. Living on residence would be pretty fun. As much as he loved living with his sisters, it'd give him a chance to be independent and meet new people. "Why?" he asked.

"Nothing," Alyssa said quickly, staring at her hands. Matthew stared at her.

"Really," he said flatly.

"Really," she agreed. Matthew gave her a look.

"Seriously, Al," Matthew began to say.

"I'm gonna miss you," Al said in a small voice.

"W-why?" Matthew asked, surprised. "It's not like I'm gonna be gone forever."

"Yeah, but...you know how I told you and Iggy I wanted to move in 'cause the guys were stifling me?" Alyssa asked. "It's really because I really missed you guys. You guys are my closest siblings and I don't want you to go away," Alyssa said, her eyes brimming with tears.

"Al..." Matthew murmured, unsure of what to say. He never would've expected independent, cheerful Alyssa to be like this. She had been so excited about Matthew's acceptance letter.

"It's stupid, I know," Alyssa said quickly.

"It's not, Al. I'm not going anywhere. I mean, look at Gilbert. He lives on res but he's always around," Matthew said, trying not to turn red at the thought of Gilbert.

"'Cept for those three monthsish where he was gone for a long time, but that's because of y—something," Alyssa said. Matthew's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"You know why he was gone?" he asked, as Alyssa looked sheepish.

"He liked someone," Alyssa said quickly.

"You know who it is...don't you?" Matthew said suspiciously.

"No," Alyssa countered. "I'm gonna miss our arguments!" she cried out suddenly, bursting into tears. Matthew blinked; he _still_ wasn't used to girls and their hormones. Especially spontaneous crying. Seriously, how did they manage that stuff? Matthew couldn't even cry when he was sad, let alone _spontaneously_.

"Why would you miss our _arguments_?" Matthew asked, exasperated.

"'Cause it's fun annoying you," Alyssa said in defence.

"It's fun annoying me to the point of yelling you for three hours straight until you cry?" Matthew deadpanned.

"You'd make me pancakes afterwards!" Alyssa protested. Matthew rolled his eyes. "I'll miss your Saturday morning pancakes," she added in a small voice.

"Tell you what – I'll come home every weekend to make you pancakes, 'kay?" Matthew said.

"Come home every day," Alyssa muttered under her breath.

"Oh, come on – don't you want me to live up the uni life, right?" Matthew asked. "Don't you want to see me as an obnoxious frat boy?"

"Like Gilbert?" Alyssa questioned. Matthew laughed rather awkwardly, his stomach churning as he remembered what happened a few nights before. "But yeah, I guess. Just make sure you come home loads," she threatened.

"Promise," Matthew said solemnly. Alyssa grinned, putting her arms around her brother.

"I love you," she said softly. Matthew smiled.

"I love you too," he said, hugging her tightly.


	13. Chapter 13

_Marianne - Fem!France_

_Alyssa - Fem!America_

_Elizabeth - Fem!England_

_Louise - Fem!Germany_

_Katyusha - Ukraine_

_Lars - Netherlands_

_Mathias - Denmark_

_Svea - Fem!Sweden_

_Eva - Fem!Iceland_

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Thirteen:<span>

Matthew grimaced as his sisters and Marianne cooed over him.

"You look _so_ dashing!" Marianne gushed, grabbing him by the shoulders and spinning him around so they could get a good look at him.

"A regular gentleman," Elizabeth agreed, pushing Marianne out of the way to smooth out the wrinkles in Matthew's suit.

"You're gonna get _so_ much ass with this suit, man!" Alyssa agreed, shoving Elizabeth out of her way so she could playfully ruffle her brother's hair. Matthew swatted all the hands away from him, his cheeks burning.

"Guys, chill. It's just a stupid suit," Matthew said, feeling embarrassed.

Marianne gasped, looking scandalized. "It's not _just_ a suit – it's your prom suit! Prom's a very big rite of passage, you know," she told him sternly.

"Yeah but prom's in a month – why am I getting the suit now?" Matthew wondered out loud, retreating back into the change room to change back into his normal clothes.

"Who actually waits until the last minute to get clothes?" Alyssa asked.

"Boys?" Matthew replied, loosening the tie and unbuttoning his shirt.

"Precisely why girls are smarter," Elizabeth replied and Alyssa and Marianne laughed. Matthew rolled his eyes as he slid off the dress pants, reaching over for his pair of jeans.

"Hey, Mattie – are you going with someone to prom?" Alyssa asked curiously as Matthew pulled his shirt on and returned outside, the tuxedo slung on his arm. The assistant helping them took it out of his arms and lead them towards the check out area.

"Probably in a group or something. Why?" Matthew asked, shrugging.

"But that's no fun! You need to have a _date_!" Alyssa insisted.

"Why do I need a date to have fun?" Matthew questioned.

"I dunno, but it's like, the most cliché prom thing ever!" Alyssa replied.

"Maybe I don't feel like being cliché," Matthew defended.

"You suck," Alyssa grumbled, following her brother towards the entrance to wait for Elizabeth and Marianne, who insisted on buying it for Matthew, despite the fact Matthew could afford it himself.

"Aren't you getting a dress?" Matthew asked. Alyssa was going to prom with Ivan. Alyssa gave him a look.

"_Please_. I, unlike you, got my prom stuff last month instead of last minute," Alyssa said with a sniff. Matthew gaped at her.

"How is buying a tux a month before prom _last minute_?" Matthew demanded.

"Because it just is," Elizabeth said, appearing from behind them with Matthew's tuxedo in a neat shopping bag which she then handed to Matthew. Matthew rolled his eyes as Alyssa smirked and Marianne, who had just joined them, looked amused.

"So are we done with this?" Matthew asked hopefully, making plans to call Ivan and Lars to have an impromptu hockey match against Tino, Svea and Mathias [Ivan was always on default on Matthew's team no matter how brotastic Mathias and Matthew were – terrible things happened when Ivan and Matthew were on opposite teams. Terrible things indeed].

"_Non_!" Marianne exclaimed, looking scandalized."We still need to get your shoes and tie and-"

Matthew felt like slamming his face into a wall.

* * *

><p>Matthew grinned as he tossed his balled up old sock across the room, watching as Kumajiro bolted towards it, leaping into the air and catching it before it hit the ground.<p>

"Good boy," he cooed as Kumajiro trotted back to him, his tail wagging madly. Kumajiro yipped, pleased, and rolled onto his stomach, expectantly waiting for Matthew to rub his stomach. Matthew laughed, obliging.

"Matthew?" he heard Elizabeth call out from upstairs.

"Yeah?" Matthew called back, chuckling as Kumajiro leaped into his lap and pushed the balled up sock off of his lap, chasing it eagerly.

"Can...can you come upstairs for a second? I need your help," Elizabeth called back.

Matthew and Kumajiro exchanged a look. Kumajiro cocked his head at Matthew curiously.

"Why?" Matthew called out, patting Kumajiro's head absently.

"Just come upstairs!" Elizabeth barked. Matthew rolled his eyes and stood up, moving around Kumajiro to trek upstairs.

"Where are you?" Matthew asked, glancing into Elizabeth's bedroom and seeing no one in there.

"In the washroom!" Elizabeth exclaimed, her head peeking out from the door. Matthew walked towards her, starting to feel confused.

"What's up?" Matthew asked.

"C-could...erm..." Elizabeth began, her cheeks turning red. "W-well it appears that we've run out of...er, well that is to say, I need—"

"Tampons?" Matthew guessed with growing embarrassment, his cheeks starting to burn. Elizabeth's cheeks turned redder.

"Pads, please," she whispered, shutting the door quickly. Matthew sighed, turning away from the washroom. Why did this always happen to _him_? Of _course_ Alyssa and Marianne wouldn't be in the house the moment Elizabeth had a 'crisis'. At least he could try to make the most of it; Kumajiro needed a walk anyways.

Grabbing his wallet from his bedroom, Matthew went back downstairs and pulled Kumajiro into his arms, saving his sock from being ripped to pieces.

"Come on, you," Matthew said as Kumajiro wiggled around in his arms. "We're going for a walk."

Kumajiro's ears perked up at the word and he practically leapt from Matthew's arms, grabbing his own leash and giving it to his owner. Matthew clipped the leash on and grabbed his keys from nearby, opening the door and following Kumajiro out.

The cool May breeze blew past the duo, the empty streets and sidewalk starting to creep Matthew out. He zipped up his sweater, which did nothing to keep him warmer [what a waste of money (though Alyssa had bought it for him – she always had the tendency to buy him useless clothes; Matthew liked functional clothes. The girls seemed to prefer fashion over function)]. Matthew wished he had brought his iPod along; the silence was really starting become unnerving.

Fortunately, the convenience store appeared before Matthew felt too unnerved and Matthew made sure he tightly tied Kumajiro to a light post. The last time he didn't, Kumajiro had run rampage around the store. Matthew wasn't willing for a repeat of _that_ episode.

Matthew wandered around the sparsely filled store, picking up some maple cookies to eat as he passed them. He might as well get his groceries done while there. He eventually made his way towards the feminine hygiene section, reaching over for the closer pack.

"On your period?" a voice asked in amusement from behind. Matthew froze, his cheeks already turning a flaming red.

"No," Matthew replied quickly, not wanting to turn around. Matthew could _sense_ the smirk on the other boy's face.

"'course not," Gilbert teased, leaning against the shelf and giving Matthew a look. Matthew turned even redder, glaring at Gilbert.

"Shouldn't you be at the university?" Matthew demanded, pulling his hand away from the row of pads.

Gilbert shrugged. "I promised Louise I'd come home this weekend; it's Vati's birthday tomorrow," he replied. "Feliciano's dad wants to have a party and Louise says he'd kill me if I didn't show to the old man's big day," he added, and Matthew was struck with the image of Gilbert's stoic-faced, serious [and scary as fuck] father sitting at the head of a table with a party hat on. Matthew bit his lip, trying to keep his amusement in and Gilbert gave him a look. "So what's up with the shopping trip?" Gilbert teased, glancing at the rows of pads beside them.

"Elizabeth," Matthew muttered, looking away. Gilbert chuckled as Matthew glanced at the pads again.

"You should probably not keep her waiting. Aren't girls at their times of the month incredibly scary?" Gilbert asked.

"They are," Matthew agreed with a sigh. "Imagine living with three. For some reason, they all get it around the same time. I swear they time it so I have to run around and do their shit for them," he muttered.

"Because that's totally possible," Gilbert teased and Matthew rolled his eyes.

"It could," he replied. He glanced at the pads again. "I should probably get one of these and get home before Elizabeth starts freaking out," he said finally, reaching over to grab a packet.

"Get these ones – they last longer," Gilbert said quickly, nudging his head towards a different brand. Matthew obliged, pausing as he realized what Gilbert had said.

"How would _you_ know that?" Matthew asked suspiciously. Gilbert rolled his eyes.

"You're not the only one with a sister," he replied. Matthew gave him a skeptical look.

"I can't see Louise ever making _you_ go get...these," Matthew said. Gilbert shrugged.

"Well she doesn't _now_ but when she was like, twelve or something, I had to be the one to get it for her 'cause our parents were on business trips and she was too shy to get them herself. Whenever she tried asking Lovina, Lovina would tell her to fuck off and throw a shoe at her," Gilbert said, rolling his eyes again.

"Sounds like Lovina," Matthew said, grinning as he took packet and walked towards the check-out counter, Gilbert following closely behind him.

"So, how's life?" Gilbert asked as they stood in line. Somehow, while Gilbert and Matthew were talking, the store seemed to fill up and now Matthew was stuck at the back of a long line. And from the looks of it, Antonio was the cashier. Matthew was going to be there for at least three hours.

"Great, I guess. Got my acceptance letters," Matthew replied.

"All of them?" Gilbert asked, surprised.

Matthew shook his head. "A few, but I decided to accept University of Toronto's," he replied. Gilbert grinned.

"'Cause _I'm_ there, right?" he teased, throwing an arm around Matthew's shoulders. Matthew flushed pink.

"Of course not," Matthew muttered, struggling to break free of Gilbert's grip.

"Cute," a voice teased from behind them. The boys turned to see a pretty brunette standing behind them with a smirk on her face and a brand new frying pan in her hands.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Gilbert asked, arm flying off of Matthew's shoulders. The girl gave him a look, the smirk still on her face.

"Buying a new frying pan because you broke my other one," the girl replied, holding up the frying pan. Gilbert flinched almost instinctively and Matthew stared at him curiously.

"Why here, of all places?" Gilbert demanded. She shrugged.

"I came to visit Louise and Feliciano and Lou said you were here so I decided to kill two birds with one...frying pan," she said, giggling as Gilbert eyed the cooking utensil wearily.

"I hate you," Gilbert muttered. The girl grinned.

"So, are you going to introduce me to your boyfriend ever or...?" she asked, nodding at Matthew, whose eyes widened in horror.

"What? Oh, yeah. Boo, this is Elizaveta. You, this is my darling, Mattie," Gilbert said proudly, wrapping an arm around Matthew's waist. Matthew's face turned bright red as Elizaveta [so _this_ was the famous Liz that Gilbert always mentioned who was Gilbert's bestest friend forever and worstest enemy forever (his words, not Matthew's)] giggled.

"W-we aren't a-actually dating," Matthew clarified, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Darling, don't be like your sister and deny our true love!" Gilbert cried out dramatically. Matthew glared at him and Elizaveta rolled her eyes. He flushed as other people turned to stare at them.

"You're such an embarrassment," she said, giving Matthew a sympathetic look. "It's nice to put a face to the kid Gil's always talking about," she said, shaking his hand.

"G-Gilbert talks about m-me?" Matthew asked, surprised.

"Well, yeah – I talk about all my friends," Gilbert said, giving Elizaveta a pointed look. Her eyes widened.

"Wait – is this _the_ Matthew?" she asked, looking excited.

"The Matthew?" Matthew repeated in confusion.

"Shut _up_," Gilbert growled, giving Elizaveta a look.

"You mean you haven't told him yet?" she demanded in surprise.

"Told me _what_?" Matthew asked.

Just then, the check-out counter next to them opened. "I can take people here," Katyusha called out, nodding at Matthew with a smile on her face.

"Come on," Gilbert said, dragging Matthew towards Katyusha. "Let's get to her before the entire line gets to her."

"Rude," Elizaveta said, glaring at Gilbert. "It was nice meeting you, Mattie. Maybe we'll see each other later – with_out_ Gilbert interrupting," she said cheerfully to Matthew.

"B-bye!" Matthew tried to say, as he was jostled towards an amused looking Katyusha.

"Hey Katy," Gilbert said cheerfully, grabbing the stuff from Matthew's hands and putting them on the belt. "Mattie here's in a hurry," he informed her.

Katyusha giggled. "To make sure he doesn't stain?" she asked, holding up the package of pads. Matthew's face turned bright red.

"Poor thing, his time of the month is always quite traumatic," Gilbert said with a nod, patting Matthew's head. Matthew swatted away the hand, scowling.

"And those mood swings! Tell you what; I'll give you a free chocolate bar. Everyone knows chocolate helps during those awful few days," Katyusha said, reaching over to get a Kit-Kat bar and tossing it into the shopping bag.

"You guys suck," Matthew muttered under his breath.

"We only love you," Gilbert teased and Matthew's stomach squirmed, though he wasn't quite sure why.

Matthew paid the amount he needed to and set off, trying to walk away from Gilbert.

"Have a happy period!" Katyusha called out cheerfully, waving at them.

"Always~!" Gilbert replied and he cackled as he dodged Matthew's punch.

Why did this always happen to _him_?

* * *

><p>"I HATE YOU!" Alyssa shrieked, slamming the door shut as she stormed out of the house. Matthew sighed from his spot in the kitchen, stirring his bowl and exchanging a look with Marianne. It was the seventh time that day that Alyssa had stormed out. All because of a stupid argument she was having with Elizabeth.<p>

"Idiotic girl has no sense in her brain," Elizabeth muttered under her breath, storming into the kitchen. Matthew shied away from his older sister [he swore he could see her green eyes glowing with anger] and watched as she grabbed an apple and chomped down on it viciously, stomping out of the kitchen.

Marianne sighed, tying up her hair after preheating the oven.

"Why are they arguing this time?" Matthew questioned, empting the contents of his bowl onto the baking tray in front of him.

"Alyssa wants to be an actress," Marianne replied, taking her apron off and hanging it on its hook.

Matthew frowned. "So?" he asked.

"Elizabeth doesn't think being an actress is a decent job," Marianne replied, shrugging. She joined Matthew at the baking tray, helping him put globs of cookie dough onto the tray.

"And Alyssa doesn't like the fact Elizabeth's trying to control her?" Matthew guessed, sighing. The two of them had seen variations of this argument before.

"Elizabeth only means well," Marianne said.

"I know. But does Al know that?" Matthew asked. Marianne sighed as well.

"I don't think Elizabeth's fully come to terms with the fact that Alyssa isn't the little girl who idolized her anymore. Alyssa's becoming a woman and I think that's what's scaring her. She's trying to do her best to make sure Alyssa's entrance into adulthood goes smoothly...she's just not that good at executing it," Marianne said.

"Well, why doesn't she just tell Al that? They could probably settle more arguments if they just talked things out," Matthew remarked. Marianne laughed.

"Elizabeth? Tell people how she really feels? Mon cher, Elizabeth and I have been dating for more than a year and she still refers to me as her friend when we're out in public," Marianne said. Matthew blinked at her.

"Still? And you don't mind this why...?" Matthew asked. Marianne shrugged.

"I know she loves me, I don't care if other people know or not. As long as we both know we love each other, I'm happy," Marianne replied, picking up the full tray with both hands. Matthew followed her to the oven so he could open the door for her.

"That's cute," Matthew teased. It was awkward hearing about his sister being in love and stuff [with his former babysitter, no less] but in some weird way, Matthew was happy. It was nice hearing that Elizabeth and Marianne were in a stable relationship, despite their constant arguments.

"L'amour fait tourner le monde~" Marianne hummed in response. Matthew laughed.

"Merci for that gratuitous French," Matthew said, rolling his eyes.

"De rien, mon petit," Marianne replied cheerfully.

* * *

><p>Matthew fiddled with his tie a few nights later, rolling his eyes at that frantic knocking on his door.<p>

"Are you ready yet?" Marianne demanded from the other side of his door.

"I'm ready," Matthew said, opening the door quickly. "Am I presentable?" he asked.

Marianne stared at him. "Somewhat," she said finally and took him by the hand. "We have to hurry; Elizabeth's already in the car," she said, dragging him downstairs.

"We'll get there in time, don't worry," Matthew reassured, trying not to fall down the stairs.

"But I want to get good seats! This is Alyssa's first leading role – can you imagine if she became famous? We could be related to a celebrity!" Marianne said excitedly, locking the door and shoving Matthew into the car, where Elizabeth was waiting in the driver's seat.

"Thank _god_," Elizabeth said, not bothering to wait for the two to put their seatbelts on, already driving away. "You take more time than I do, and I'm a _girl_," she remarked.

"It's not my fault – Marianne wouldn't let me leave until I looked 'decent'," Matthew grumbled.

"I can't be seen with people who look unfashionable!" Marianne protested. Elizabeth rolled her eyes.

"Just do what I do; push her away and tell her to bugger off," Elizabeth advised Matthew as she pulled up into the school's parking lot. Matthew laughed as Marianne pouted. He'd never be able to do that to Marianne. Sure, now that he was older, he was a lot more assertive, but Matthew was still rather passive when it came to fighting. Plus, Marianne would kick his ass if he ever tried something like that.

Families were just getting out of their cars as Elizabeth zoomed into the closest parking space near the school. The trio got out of the car and Elizabeth and Matthew were promptly seized by Marianne, who ran [in high heels, no less] them towards the school, to the school's amphitheatre. Marianne shoved their tickets to the horrified student [poor, poor Raivis] who was working the ticket booth and dragged them inside, looking around for the best possible seats to sit in and then dragging them towards it.

"You _do_ realize that we can walk for ourselves, right?" Elizabeth questioned, stumbling alongside Matthew.

Marianne shrugged and sat down, finally letting go of Matthew's and Elizabeth's wrists. The siblings exchanged a look and sat down on either side of Marianne, both massaging their now red wrists.

It did not take long for the rest of the theatre to fill up, Matthew spotting and waving over Lars and Elise [who was with Natalia, Matthew noticed with a bit of a smirk (which made Elise blush when she noticed him smirking)] and then Mathias along with Tino, Svea, Erik and Eva. Ivan joined his sister and the rest of his friends soon afterwards with Katyusha, a bouquet of sunflowers in his hands. Wait, a _bouquet_?

Matthew and Elizabeth exchanged a horrified look.

"We forgot to get flowers!" Elizabeth exclaimed, her eyes widening.

"Alyssa's gonna hate us forever," Matthew added, starting to feel guilty. He could see the parents of the other cast members nearby and they were all holding bouquets as well. How could they have forgotten? Forgetfulness was Alyssa's and Marianne's thing; Elizabeth and Matthew were the ones who remembered everything.

"Don't worry, I always carry roses on me," Marianne replied smoothly, pulling out a bouquet of roses from inside her jacket. Matthew gaped at her.

"...you carry roses on you all the time?" Matthew questioned. Marianne shrugged.

"You never know when roses are needed – be it for occasions like this or a poor man who needs to get his love some flowers but has no money to," Marianne replied. Elizabeth snorted.

"For the 'amour'?" she asked.

"Of course~" Marianne replied dreamily and Elizabeth rolled her eyes.

"Dude, move over," Mathias commanded suddenly, interrupting Matthew's family moment. Matthew blinked at him.

"Me?" he asked in confusion.

"No – Lars," Mathias replied, shoving Svea to the empty seat beside Tino [who had already moved] and taking her seat. Svea shot Mathias a dangerous look that Mathias presumably ignored.

"Why?" Lars asked, complying with Mathias' command.

"Because I'm awesome and I need somewhere to sit," a voice answered from the beginning of the row. Everyone turned to see Gilbert and Louise standing there, the former beaming at them and the latter looking around to find Feliciano.

"What about Louise?" Matthew asked as Gilbert inched his way to the empty seat next to him. Gilbert shrugged, plopping down onto the chair.

"She's probably gonna sit with Feli or something, I guess," Gilbert said, motioning to the younger Vargas kid, who was entering the theatre just then with his sister and Antonio. Marianne cheerfully waved Antonio over and the Vargas siblings followed him to sit in the row in front of the rest of the group. Louise joined Feliciano and sat down next to him, her face turning red as Feliciano greeted her with one of his customary hugs.

"When's the show starting?" Eva asked from beside Lars, flipping through the pamphlet handed to them at the front of the theatre idly.

"Uh, in a few minutes I think," Matthew answered. He turned to Elizabeth. "Mum and Dad are coming, right?" he asked curiously. Elizabeth shrugged.

"They said they'd be here with the rest of the family," she replied. Marianne nudged the both of them and nodded to the door.

"There they are right now," she said as the rest of the Kirkland clan came through the doors, all of them searching around for Elizabeth and Matthew. The two waved, and Victoria led the rest of the family to join Antonio, Louise and the Vargas siblings in the row in front of them.

Gilbert yawned absently, stretching his arms out and resting his left arm on the back of Matthew's seat. "I need to stop staying up all night to study physics," he complained to no one in particular.

Antonio turned around to face Gilbert and rolled his eyes. "You say that every single time and yet you never follow up on that," he teased. Gilbert scowled.

"Maybe if my prof wasn't so fucking insane that he'd give us a drillion chapters to study for the test, I'd get some more beauty sleep," he grumbled. Antonio laughed.

"You know, you two look really cute like that," Antonio remarked innocently. Gilbert gave Antonio a look.

"Me and my _prof_?" he asked incredulously. Antonio stared at him in confusion before understanding.

"_Oh_, not that," Antonio said, shaking his head. "I meant you and Matthew; you look like a cute couple with your arm around his shoulders like that," he specified.

Matthew blinked, turning around to stare at the arm that was resting innocently on the back of his chair with horror.

"We aren't a cute couple," Matthew said quickly, his face turning red. Antonio laughed.

"You're right. Gilbert isn't cute enough to make you a cute couple," Antonio agreed seriously. Gilbert gaped at him.

"What are you talking about? I'm so fucking cute, I puke _puppies_," Gilbert protested. Antonio burst out laughing.

Before he could reply, however, a student's voice came through the speakers above them. "Welcome to our annual musical! We'd kindly ask for everyone to turn your phones off to prevent any interruptions. Now sit tight and we all hope you enjoy our production of _Hairspray_!" the voice said enthusiastically, the lights starting to dim. Antonio turned back to face the stage.

As the actors appeared on the stage for the first scene, Matthew felt oddly uncomfortable. Gilbert still hadn't retracted his arm; which still meant it looked like his arm was around Matthew, which meant they still looked like a couple.

But Matthew and Gilbert weren't a couple. For god sakes, Matthew didn't even roll that way!

_So if you're so confident that you're heterosexual, why are you so worried about what other people will think? Everyone knows you're straight,_ a little voice in his head asked. _Or do you _like_ looking like a couple with Gilbert? _it taunted.

Gilbert moved slightly, shifting to get more comfortable. Matthew froze in his place, horribly aware Gilbert's arm was now _just_ touching his back. Gilbert's arm felt warm.

Matthew snuck Gilbert a look, Gilbert was watching the musical with interest, his foot tapping in beat to the music. Gilbert noticed Matthew staring at him and gave him a questioning look, his eyebrows furrowed. Matthew's stomach lurched [the pot lights made Gilbert look a little diabolical and it was rather unnerving] and he shook his head, his heart beating madly as he leaned forward [away from Gilbert's arm] and faced the stage again.

Maybe he was just getting sick or something.

As Matthew tried to self-diagnose how sick he really was, Alyssa bounded onto the stage, her curled and extensively hair sprayed hair bouncing as she danced. Matthew grinned as Alyssa opened her mouth to sing, all prior thoughts evaporating. Alyssa was a good singer, he realized to his surprise, his foot starting to tap to the music as well. He had never really pegged Alyssa for the singing type but it was definitely like his sister to go and surprise them all. And she was a very competent actress; Matthew felt his chest swelling up with pride as Alyssa bounded across stage.

By the end of the musical, Matthew was a fan of Hairspray, despite not being that into musicals. As the lights came back on and the cast did their final bows, Matthew stood up, humming one of the catchier songs under his breath and following Elizabeth and Marianne out the door.

"Did you guys like it?" Alyssa asked excitedly, rushing towards them when she spotted them.

"You were très magnifique~!" Marianne exclaimed, throwing her arms around Alyssa.

"You're a really good singer, Al," Matthew said, hugging Alyssa tightly as Marianne let go of her.

"I'm a girl of all talents," Alyssa joked, her eyes sparkling. The siblings let go of each other and Alyssa turned to Elizabeth expectantly. Marianne and Matthew exchanged a worried look. Had Elizabeth liked the performance? Did she now see why Alyssa wanted to become an actress?

Elizabeth cleared her throat, looking uncomfortable. "Erm, this is for you," she said quickly, shoving Marianne's bouquet into a surprised Alyssa's arms. Alyssa blinked, before looking pleased.

"It's from all of us," Marianne said quickly.

"Thanks!" she said cheerfully, still waiting on Elizabeth, who looked more and more awkward. Matthew and Marianne exchanged another look. Alyssa had idolized Elizabeth when they were younger – to the point of dressing like Elizabeth and attempting to speak the same way. Although their relationship was more strained now, Matthew always knew Alyssa strived to make Elizabeth proud of her.

"You..." Elizabeth began finally, staring steadily at the ground. She took a deep breath in and looked up. "You were really good, Alyssa. I-I'm proud of you," she said, smiling softly.

Matthew backed up slightly as Alyssa beamed, throwing her arms around Elizabeth.

"Thanks, Lizzie!" Alyssa exclaimed, catching Elizabeth by surprise [Alyssa hadn't called Elizabeth 'Lizzie' since she was an innocent thirteen year old]. Elizabeth's smile grew and her eyes sparkled as she hugged her younger sister back...

...which was when Marianne promptly burst into tears, grabbing a hold of an astonished Matthew.

"I love happy endings!" she sobbed into Matthew's shoulder. Matthew patted her head awkwardly, flushing as he noticed James, Daniel, Sean and Noah all smirking at him, their father standing next to them, also looking quite amused.

"Come on!" their mother cried out and Matthew laughed as the men were pushed towards them, being forced to join in on the hug-fest. Riley and Jack were forced in as well and Matthew couldn't help but find it adorable to see little Peter, the youngest out of all of them, reach up to hug James, the eldest.

Matthew turned to Alyssa, who was still hugging Elizabeth tightly, both of them teary-eyed. Alyssa smiled at him and not for the first time ever, Matthew felt glad that he could consider this dysfunctional group of people his family.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I think my writing style's gotten worse or something, lol. Either that, or I'm starting to realize that Matthew and Marianne are either terribly OOC or...I dunno. It feels like something's off. Oh well, I doubt anyone's still reading this story so meh.**

**This chapter is taking place in May so there are two more chapters left~**


	14. Chapter 14

_Marianne - Fem!France_

_Alyssa - Fem!America_

_Elizabeth - Fem!England_

_Lars - Netherlands_

_Mathias - Denmark_

_Erik - Norway_

_Svea - Fem!Sweden_

_Eva - Fem!Iceland_

_Victoria - OC _

_Albert - OC_

_James - Scotland_

_Sean - Ireland_

_Daniel - North Ireland_

_Noah - Wales_

_Jack - Australia_

_Riley - New Zealand_

_Ruby - Wy_

_Senor Martinez - Cuba_

_Stefan - Romania_

_Angelique - Seychelles_

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Fourteen:<span>

Matthew walked downstairs, trying to shake off the final images of his latest dream out of his head. While Gilbert had been the main character in his dream _again_, the dream was far less sexual than the others. This dream had been of him and Gilbert very casually watching TV together, cuddling underneath a large blanket. It was so peaceful and cozy, Matthew almost wanted the sex dreams back; at least with those, he could blame them on hormones and the fact he hadn't gotten any since he and Natalia had broken up.

"Morning," Matthew mumbled to the figure in the armchair that was calmly reading the business section in the newspaper. He flopped onto the couch and turned the TV on, flipping through channels to find something mindlessly amusing to watch. It was fairly early in the morning and Matthew had a feeling that all the cool cartoons had already come on and the lame ones were now playing. Maybe something was on MTV – the channel practically stood for mindless entertainment.

The figure on the armchair grunted back a reply, their entire upper half and head covered up by the newspaper so Matthew wasn't quite sure who it was. Matthew figured it was a very sleepy Elizabeth, though. Marianne was spending the day with her half sister Monique and Alyssa would never be caught dead reading the business section, of all things. Matthew found a reality show marathon going on and began to watch, smirking occasionally at the people's antics. Maybe he could make some pancakes soon, Matthew mused to himself. He really wanted some pancakes for breakfast.

"Good morning, Matthew," Elizabeth said lazily, appearing by the living room's entrance. "I was about to start breakfast. D'you want anything?" she asked.

"I was going to make pancakes..." Matthew said uncertainly.

"We could always make both; with two giant appetites in this house at the moment, it's probably best if we do, or else we won't get anything," Elizabeth replied drily.

"Alright; I'll join you in a bit," Matthew said, turning back to the TV, far too comfortable to want to get up. Elizabeth hummed her response and disappeared into the kitchen. They were going to have to cook a lot to make up for the two giant appetites...wait...what? Matthew blinked in surprise. _Two_ giant appetites? Who was the second? Matthew and Elizabeth weren't heavy eaters, nor was Marianne [who wasn't even in the house]. Alyssa was the only one who had a hearty appetite so why had Elizabeth said two? And how did she get to the entrance if she was reading the paper? Matthew snuck a quick glance at the figure in the armchair. Was it Alyssa, then? Matthew was surprised that Elizabeth hadn't made a comment about Alyssa reading.

"I need a new pillow; my old one makes my neck hurt," Alyssa complained, stumbling into the living room and flopping to the loveseat nearby Matthew. Matthew stared at her.

Ignoring his younger sister's groaning, Matthew nudged her and silently motioned to the figure in the armchair. "Who is that?" he mouthed out.

Alyssa shrugged. "Hey, newspaper reader – show yourself!" Alyssa demanded loudly. Matthew resisted the urge to face-palm.

The newspaper lowered, revealing a very familiar face. "Hey," Gilbert said lazily, giving them a two-fingered salute.

"Don't you have a home?" Alyssa asked as Matthew gaped at the other boy in horror, more images from his dream showing up. His stomach churned and Matthew felt almost sick. He suddenly felt _very_ awkward.

Gilbert shrugged. "I can only stand my father and Louise for so long before wanting to leave. I actually started wishing I could be at school instead of on vacation – that's not a good thing. Plus, you guys cook good shit and I'm hungry as fuck," he replied. He grinned at Matthew. "Go make me pancakes," he commanded. Matthew rolled his eyes.

"Why should I?" he asked and Gilbert pouted.

"Remember the days when Matthew lacked a spine?" Gilbert asked Alyssa, who nodded eagerly.

"You could ask him to do anything and he'd do it. He was so adorably passive!" she cooed. Matthew scowled.

"You guys are asses," Matthew muttered, getting off of the couch and stalking into the kitchen. His ears burned as he heard Gilbert and Alyssa laugh, exchanging more stories about Matthew back when he was still a shy, quiet, _passive_ boy. Matthew was still pretty passive and still pretty quiet but he certainly had opened up since then. Lars liked to say that high school had manned Matthew up...and maybe he was right. Matthew certainly felt a lot more mature now.

"Annoyed out of the living room?" Elizabeth asked as Matthew scourged the cupboards for ingredients to make pancakes.

"Yeah," Matthew replied, rolling his eyes.

"The bastard doesn't even know how to act like a proper guest," Elizabeth said with a snort, continuing to fry bacon. It was bizarre how someone who was so good at cooking breakfast foods could also be the same person who was cursed in all other things culinary.

"Why do you bother letting him stay over then?" Matthew asked curiously.

Elizabeth shrugged. "He's an old friend. He's a dick, but I'll help him out when he's in need. He's done the same for me too," she replied.

"He has?" Matthew asked, surprised. Elizabeth nodded.

"Those first few months on my own after moving out; Gilbert stayed over almost every night because he knew I was probably scared of being completely by myself," Elizabeth replied. That was actually..._nice_ of Gilbert to do so. "He was the first person I came out to too; we came out to each other, actually. It was nice having someone who kind of got what I was going through too," she added, smiling slightly as she remembered an old memory.

"It doesn't sound like something he'd do," Matthew remarked, sounding amazed. Elizabeth laughed.

"Gil can be a lot sweeter than he lets on. You just have to catch him at the right moment," Elizabeth replied, grabbing a plate and putting the bacon onto it.

The kitchen smelled good and within minutes, Elizabeth and Matthew were setting the table up for a feast of sorts.

Alyssa eventually wandered in, sniffing the air. "I'm hungry," she complained. "Is the food ready yet?"

"Yeah, go ahead," Matthew replied, gesturing at the food, already in his seat. Alyssa let out a squeal and dove to her chair, already piling food up onto her plate.

"No one bothers telling _me_ that breakfast is done," Gilbert grumbled with a pout, sitting down next to Matthew and taking double of what Alyssa was eating. It was almost nauseating watching them scarf down food. Seriously, you'd think they had been starving for a year before this.

The group of four ate in silence; the only sounds in the kitchen were the clanking of cutlery and the sounds of chewing.

"Are you guys excited for prom?" Elizabeth asked finally, in a conversational tone.

Matthew shrugged. "I guess. It's pretty much like most dances, only with a special name. I don't see the big deal in it," he remarked. Alyssa gaped at him.

"What are you talking about? Prom is _so_ much better than that! It's a milestone! All teenagers go through prom at least once before entering adulthood; it's like, a law," Alyssa exclaimed.

"I didn't go to my prom," Gilbert remarked innocently. Alyssa and Matthew both stared at him.

"Really?" they chorused, sounding surprised and – in Alyssa's case – horrified. Gilbert was normally the life of the party. Why wouldn't he have gone to the biggest party of his high school life?

Gilbert nodded. "I got really sick before then so I wasn't allowed to go," he replied. Could Matthew hear a trace of sadness in Gilbert's voice?

"That _sucks_," Alyssa said, sounding horrified. Gilbert grinned a tad bit ruefully.

"Yeah. I'd been looking forward to prom for ages too. I was pretty pissed," Gilbert replied.

They fell into a silence, going back to their vigorous eating. Matthew couldn't stop thinking about Gilbert missing his prom, though. He didn't let it on, but Gilbert seemed like he had been pretty crushed about missing prom. It was like Matthew and hockey games; if he ever had to miss a game due to illness or an injury, Matthew would mope about it for weeks. To look so forward to something and never have it happen was so disappointing. Matthew felt a rush of pity to Gilbert. Hockey matches came and went. If Matthew missed one, he'd still have another to look forward to...but Gilbert would never get to go to prom.

"D'you want to go to prom with me?" Matthew blurted out suddenly, surprising everyone at the table as well as himself.

"Like a date?" Gilbert asked, looking startled. From the corner of Matthew's eye, he could see Alyssa and Elizabeth exchange a look.

Matthew's face turned red and he shook his head quickly. "N-no! Not like that. J-just as friends. But only if y-you want to," he stammered.

"Why?" Gilbert asked, sounding confused. Matthew shrugged.

"Well you said you never got to go to prom so...now you can...ish," Matthew replied.

"That's very sweet of you, Matthew," Elizabeth remarked, making Matthew flush.

"Fine. I'll go with you," Gilbert said, grinning. "Who gets to buy the corsage? You or me?"

"We're not going as d-dates," Matthew stammered as Gilbert and the girls began to laugh.

"You would obviously buy the corsage; Matthew would look so cute with one on his wrist," Alyssa teased.

"Are you two going to get matching tuxedos?" Elizabeth chimed in.

"You guys are hopeless," Matthew said in exasperation, standing up from the table and putting his plate away. He stormed off into the living room and sat down on the loveseat, trying not to childishly pout but doing so anyways. Why did everyone love teasing him? You do something nice and then harassed for it. That was just how life went.

"You okay?" Gilbert asked from the living room's entrance, leaning against the wall. Matthew rolled his eyes.

"Yeah," he replied, his stomach lurching as Gilbert joined him on the loveseat. Matthew turned the TV on as a way to distract himself from how close he and Gilbert were sitting; he wasn't even sure what he was watching, he was so caught up with how Gilbert's arm was casually resting on part of the couch above his shoulders [a little lower and Gilbert's arm would be around _him_]...

"Thanks," Gilbert said suddenly. Matthew turned away from the TV to see Gilbert staring at him seriously.

"What for?" Matthew asked, feeling awkward.

"For letting me come to prom with you. It means a lot," Gilbert explained softly, smiling at Matthew. Matthew's cheeks burned.

"You're welcome, I guess," Matthew stammered, looking away quickly. He could see Gilbert smile grow a little before turning to the TV as well, watching trashy teen moms yell at each other.

"You're really awesome," Gilbert told him.

And Matthew was in a good mood for the rest of the day.

* * *

><p>"Are you done yet?" Alyssa demanded furiously, banging at the door. "Your date's already here!"<p>

"He's not my date, Al. We're just going together," Matthew said, opening his door, still fiddling with his tie. Ties were man's best torture tool; how on earth were you supposed to put them on?

"You two look très beaux," Marianne gushed when they met her by the foot of the stairs, looking teary-eyed and holding her camera in her hands.

"Alyssa, pull up your neckline; you look like a harlot," Elizabeth scolded, appearing by Marianne's side. Alyssa scowled, complying with the demand.

"They grow up so fast, non?" Marianne said, her voice shaking. Elizabeth rolled her eyes.

"You are _such_ a drama queen," she replied, but Matthew could see by the look in her eyes that Elizabeth agreed. Was it really so long ago that he and Alyssa had been naive, impressionable kids? Had it been so long ago since Matthew moved in with Elizabeth? Matthew suddenly felt oddly old.

"We need pictures! Stand here!" Marianne commanded, ignoring Elizabeth. Matthew and Alyssa exchanged a look.

"And to think, I thought we'd be saved from this 'cause we don't live with Mum anymore," Alyssa remarked and Matthew laughed.

"And _you_ have to go through this next year too," he reminded her, snickering as Alyssa's jaw dropped in horror.

Marianne, annoyed that neither were listening to her, grabbed both by the arms, dragging them to a spot in the foyer were the lighting was better for pictures. "Where are your dates?" she demanded.

"He's not my-"

"Oh my _God_, Marianne, we are _not_ doing those cliché crappy prom pic-"

"Right here," Gilbert interjected, interrupting Alyssa, appearing with Ivan from the living room. Both boys looked quite sophisticated in suits. It was bizarre; Gilbert looked pretty suave and mature in a suit [it made Matthew's stomach churn] and Ivan just looked like a completely different person sans scarf. Both grinned at Matthew and Alyssa.

"Stand beside your dates for a picture," Marianne commanded, rushing over and dragging the two to Matthew and Alyssa.

"Do you want us to hug our darlings?" Gilbert asked, smirking at Matthew.

"I could've asked a bunch of different girls to be my date if I hadn't felt bad for you," Matthew informed him.

"But would they have said yes?" Gilbert countered teasingly, making Alyssa snicker and Matthew flush.

"Smile for the camera!" Marianne barked at them, a rather dangerous glint in her eye.

Gilbert cleared his throat. "Hey Marie, don't you think you're being a little -"

"I want this picture to be perfect. So smile!" Marianne snapped. Gilbert flinched, throwing an arm around Matthew quickly and flashing the camera a smile. Matthew gave the camera a tentative smile; his cheeks still a light pink.

The camera flashed and made a clicking sound; all of them let out a sigh of relief.

Before Marianne could take another picture, there was a loud honking from outside.

"The limo," Ivan stated knowingly. The quartet walked to the door, Alyssa throwing it open to reveal the limo waiting outside for them.

"Have fun!" Marianne exclaimed, looking up from her camera as they all stepped outside.

"Be responsible and safe!" Elizabeth added, standing by Marianne at the door.

"Take lots of pictures!" Marianne continued.

"And Gilbert, if you do anything inappropriate, I have permission from your father to castrate you," Elizabeth added threateningly.

"Spoil sport!" Gilbert called out accusingly, climbing into the limo. Matthew, Alyssa and Ivan followed him in, Alyssa quickly lower her dress's neckline the moment the limo drove off. Matthew was more than a little creeped out when he saw the look of glee on Ivan's face [but then again, this was probably karma for the number of times Matthew was caught checking Natalia (and Katyusha) out by Ivan].

"Lookin' good, guys," Mathias said appreciatively, looking pretty dapper himself in a suit. They all cleaned up very nicely. Even tomboyish Eva [of course she was Lars' date; Lars really liked his girls young, didn't he?] looked cute in her violet bubble dress.

"Where's Erik?" Svea remarked tauntingly, looking stunning in a dark blue dress, her long white-blonde hair styled into soft curls.

Mathias pouted, looking deflated. "I didn't bother asking him," he grumbled.

"What? Why not?" Alyssa demanded.

"Erik told him he'd castrate him if he tried asking," Eva replied, looking amused. "And then Mathias asked Erik if that was his way of telling him he wanted to touch his penis and then—"

"How do you even _know_ this?" Mathias demanded over top laughter, his cheeks burning.

Eva shrugged. "He's my brother. We share a house. Also, you're really loud," she told him.

"Yeah; I could hear you from my house," Tino remarked and Svea nodded her agreement. Though really, that wasn't saying much; Tino's house and Svea's house were on either side of Erik's.

"And I saw you running past my house screaming," Ivan added.

Mathias pouted. "Did all of you know?" he asked in a small voice.

"Yes," everyone chorused.

"I hate you guys," Mathias muttered.

"Aw, don't worry; Erik'll bend eventually," Gilbert teased, high-fiving Lars as everyone burst out laughing.

"Shut the fuck up," Mathias muttered in embarrassment. "Go make out with your boyfriend," he shot at Gilbert.

"We aren't-"

"Fine. Maybe I will," Gilbert said, pulling Matthew closer to him. Matthew's cheeks burned as everyone began to wolf-whistle.

"G-Gilbert," Matthew stammered, his heart hammering as Gilbert brought his face closer to Matthew's.

Thankfully, though, the limo reached the school by then, saving Matthew from mortification [though a part of him was a little disappointed]. Gilbert laughed, letting go of Matthew and teasingly messing up his hair.

"Lucky for you," he teased, following the rest of the group out of the limo. They walked into the party hall and signed in at the tables the Student Activity Council had put out. Locating the table they had booked, the girls put their purses down so they could take pictures while striking stupid poses. People milled about, greeting their friends enthusiastically as music played in the background. The group dispersed for a bit, greeting their other friends and talking about whatever came into their minds. All around Matthew there were girls squealing amongst each other about dresses and hair and makeup and generally all other girly things. It wasn't a surprise to him to see Alyssa as the main squealer.

They rejoined at dinnertime, the boys and Alyssa taking hearty helpings of everything and eating animatedly. Svea and Eva shot them disgusted looks as they ate daintily, talking about whatever it was girls liked to talk about. Alyssa seemed to think it would be funny to take candid pictures of everyone eating; eating soon became mission impossible – trying to hide your face from Alyssa's camera was a lot harder than originally supposed, Matthew soon realized.

The dancing began not too long after all the empty plates were cleared [and Alyssa's camera was now full of at least one hundred pictures of the boys looking like idiots]. Matthew hung by the table with Tino and Svea rather than join the others at the dance floor; they weren't really the dancing types. Most of the kids on the dance floor were dancing like dorks with their friends but Matthew could see the small circle of people in the center grinding like nobody's business.

Tino, being the genius that he was, had snuck a pack of playing cards into the hall and the three began an impromptu game of three person president.

"Aren't you jealous about your date dancing with random girls?" Tino teased, shuffling the cards, nudging his head to the dance floor. Matthew rolled his eyes; Gilbert was being swarmed by a bunch of pretty girls, all of whom wanted to dance with him. He seemed to be enjoying all the attention.

"I'm more concerned about how some of them aren't legal yet," Matthew remarked, picking up his cards.

Tino laughed, throwing down his first few cards. "Paedophilic is the new vampire, I guess. Girls love pedophiles," he joked.

"I don't," Svea remarked.

"You don't count; you're Tino-sexual," Matthew teased and Tino laughed, Svea rolling her eyes and smiling.

"But seriously, you aren't jealous?" Tino teased, motioning as they watched Gilbert partake in an all-girls grind line.

"Yes, I am jealous of a bunch of girls whoring onto Gil like they've never seen a dude before," Matthew said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

It was then that the fast paced pop music finally stopped. The beginning notes of a slow dance song began to play and Tino and Svea exchanged a look.

"Uh, Matt-" Tino began awkwardly, but Matthew cut him off knowingly.

"Go on," he insisted and Tino smiled, standing up with Svea to go to the dance floor. They made a nice couple; it was hard to believe that when Tino first moved to their school, he had been terrified of Svea.

Not too far away from them, Lars and Eva danced, both of them in deep conversation. Matthew smirked. And Lars said he didn't Eva _that_ way. The two of them needed to hurry up and admit their feelings for one another; he and Elise had a bet going on and Matthew hated losing.

"Erik!" Mathias exclaimed in exasperation, passing Matthew's table as Erik stormed away, looking annoyed. Matthew watched as Mathias grabbed Erik's arm and pull him close, saying something heatedly. Matthew looked away; he felt awkward watching a private moment. He directed his gaze back to the dancing couples and smirked; Alyssa and Ivan looked like they were floating on air, swaying back and forth to the music. Matthew loved seeing Alyssa so happy, and Ivan was a good guy.

Matthew let out a little sigh; he was starting to feel like a creep, sitting at the table by himself, watching people dance. Gilbert was probably slow dancing with some pretty girl, so Matthew didn't even have anyone to talk to. God, why was he still so socially awkward?

"Care to dance?" a voice asked, pulling Matthew out of his self-deprecating thoughts.

"W-what?" Matthew stammered in surprise. Gilbert shrugged and sat down next to Matthew.

"Dance with me," Gilbert offered and Matthew's stomached leaped.

"Why? What happened to all those girls?" Matthew asked teasingly.

Gilbert rolled his eyes. "Dunno, don't really care. I want to dance with you – it's the least I could do, 'cause I'm your date and shit," he replied.

"We aren't _really_ dat-"

"You still asked me to go with you instead of asking some next girl," Gilbert cut in. "And that means a lot," he told Matthew in a soft voice. Matthew could feel his cheeks burning. "So...dance?" he asked awkwardly, holding a hand out.

"Fine," Matthew said, reluctantly taking Gilbert's hand, his stomach churning.

They passed a bunch of dancing couple [like Mathias and Erik, though Matthew wasn't quite sure how that happened] hand in hand before stopping a little away from the larger crowd of dancers.

They came to a halt, staring at each other awkwardly for a few moments.

"Uh..." Matthew said unsurely, putting his hands awkwardly on Gilbert's waist. Gilbert blushed – something Matthew had never seen him do before – and put his hands on Matthew's shoulders.

"Why am I in the girl role?" Gilbert complained as they began to sway.

"Because I'm taller. And you're obviously my bitch," Matthew quipped, trying to mentally calm himself down [oh God their bodies were so close their pelvises were touching oh God their chests were almost touching oh God why did this feel so good]. Gilbert rolled his eyes.

They fell into a silence; Matthew struggled to think up possible conversation topics so they weren't staring into each other's eyes the entire time. Matthew's heart was going to combust soon; it was beating so fast. Seriously, was he feeling _that_ awkward about dancing with a guy?

The lights in the hall seemed to make Gilbert's eyes sparkle, making his normally red eyes show hues of violet and even blue. His face was so close to Matthew's...why did Matthew want to lean in and...

The music suddenly changed. Loud, fast music changed the atmosphere. Matthew and Gilbert blinked at each other and pulled apart quickly, both of them looking oddly out of breath.

"Wanna play cards?" Matthew blurted out.

"Sure."

* * *

><p>"Matthew Kirkland," the vice-principal called out. Matthew took a deep breath in and took a step forwards, walking onto the stage - almost tripping on his graduation gown. He could see Señor Martinez sitting with the other teachers, grinning at him. Matthew was going to miss eating ice cream with him and slacking off in Spanish class.<p>

"Thanks," Matthew said, taking his diploma.

"Congratulations," she replied, shaking his hand. Matthew walked to join the other graduates. They were all sitting down by the side of the stage, whispering amongst each other. There was an aura of anxiety and relief. Matthew wasn't quite sure of how he was feeling. On one hand, he was thankful for surviving high school. But he was going to university, which meant more work and a lot more stress. It wouldn't be the same as high school. He still couldn't grasp that he was graduating.

"Mathias Koehler," the vice principal read out and Matthew couldn't help but roll his eyes as Mathias sauntered on stage, waving jovially at the audience as some spirited teens wolf whistled at him. Mathias was going to be the epitome of frat boys in university, Matthew just knew it. It still struck him as odd how he and Mathias even came to be friends, let alone best friends. Perhaps hockey was just that magical. Mathias caught Matthew's eye and made his way to the other boy before someone else called him over. He shrugged and motioned he'd join Matthew later and walked to the other person.

"Lars Meijer," the vice principal called out and Matthew watched as Lars walked on stage to receive his diploma. Matthew and Lars were going to different universities. It was going to be weird doing shit without his best friend. They were like brothers. The stoner kid and the invisible boy – they made quite a pair. Matthew was going to miss Mathias and Lars; Mathias brought out the talkative side out of Matthew and Lars, and Lars always had something good to smoke. He also never judged you on whatever you did. Mathias could laugh at you and with you on everything. He was super loyal to all of his friends. Even Svea, though neither of them would ever consider each other even remotely close to friends. Man, Matthew was going to miss Svea too. And Tino, and Ivan too [Matthew glanced at Ivan, who was sitting with Stefan, the Romanian transfer student]. The six of them had grown to become such close friends, despite all having different personalities and – in Mathias' case – different social statuses. Matthew was going to miss them all so much. It was hard realizing that all of them were going to be attending different universities. The others would be on residence, away from home. Matthew had eventually opted out of living on residence, just because his house was conveniently close to everything, but it wouldn't be fun, knowing all his best friends were someplace else while he was still at home.

"_Dude_," Lars greeted Matthew after receiving his diploma. Matthew nodded.

"Yeah," Matthew agreed. "I still can't believe it either."

"We're no longer high school students," Lars said. "That sounds...that sounds so fucking _weird_," he remarked.

"We're men now," Matthew told him.

"Adults," Lars agreed.

"We make our own rules now."

"We're legal in Quebec."

"We can vote."

"We're gonna have legit jobs soon."

"And families."

"Kids."

"A house."

"A wife."

"Taxes..."

"But freedom from our families."

"My brothers have to treat me like an equal now."

"Ha, my little brother has to listen to me now, 'cause I'm an adult."

"We're _adults_."

"We're men."

"...but I kind of want to stay a kid," Matthew admitted in a small voice.

"Yeah, same," Lars agreed with a sigh. "Can you believe it's been four years?" he asked.

"Yes...and no," Matthew replied. "Do you remember when you first started dating Angelique?" he asked suddenly.

Lars snorted. "As if you'd let me forget that. You used that against me for the next few years," he replied.

"And now that you're with Eva, the joke still stands," Matthew teased.

"Fuck you. We aren't dating," Lars said with a scowl.

"But you guys seem so into each other," Matthew pointed out.

"Nah. She's cute and fun to talk to but...I dunno. She's a little too mature for me," Lars remarked. Matthew stared at him.

"Do you even realize what you just said?" he asked flatly.

Lars blinked. "What?" he asked.

"You, an eighteen year old _adult_ who has a penchant for dating much younger girls, just told me that the reason why you won't date a fourteen year old girl is because she seems too _mature_ for you," Matthew replied.

Lars made a face. "Shit," he said, cheeks reddening slightly. "I didn't mean it like that."

"Sure," Matthew said with a grin. "You make this too easy sometimes," he added teasingly.

"Fuck you," Lars muttered.

"You realize I'm going to have to tell everyone now, right?" Matthew asked.

"Tell everyone what?" Mathias asked, joining them. He seemed to be ignoring the pointed glares he was getting for sneaking through everyone to sit next to Lars [Matthew had the other three seats saved for Tino, Svea and Ivan – if Ivan decided to join them].

"Lars thinks Eva's too mature for his tastes," Matthew informed Mathias cheerfully, expertly dodging a swipe at his head from Lars. None of them seemed to care that the principal was shooting them a death glare.

Mathias let out a loud barking laugh that made heads whip towards them. "Duuude," he said, ignoring the stares, chuckling.

"Fuck you both," Lars grumbled.

"You wish you could," Mathias teased.

"Nah, I'm not Erik," Lars countered as Ivan joined them.

"How are things with you and Erik anyways?" Ivan asked him curiously as they watched Svea hug Tino and turn to join their friends.

Mathias shrugged, glancing at the other boy. Erik was with his friends, silent as usual. "We're gonna take it slow, I guess. Whatever Erik's comfortable with. He's trying to get used to this...gay thing the way I'm trying to," Mathias replied.

"As long as he doesn't murder you for groping him," Tino said encouragingly.

"Knowing you, you probably would do that," Matthew replied drily.

"He probably has already," Svea remarked.

"You're the embodiment of evil," Mathias declared very dramatically, letting everyone know that he _had_ indeed tried to grope Erik at least once before.

"Embodiment is a big word," Svea taunted.

Mathias glared at her. "Are you just out to get me?" he demanded.

"Yes," she replied and Mathias scowled.

"Shh, the valedictorian's almost done her speech," Ivan whispered, nudging them.

"She kinda looks like Iggy," Mathias remarked, resting his arm on Tino's shoulder. Svea glared at the arm.

"How does she look like Iggy?" Matthew asked.

"Blonde, glasses, nerdy," Lars listed helpfully.

"You just listed most of the girls in the school, bro," Matthew deadpanned.

"Pimples, freckles, fidgeting, looks like a loser," Mathias added thoughtfully. He smirked. "Sounds like Svea," he said. Svea gave him one of her signature death glares.

"You're a douche," Matthew said, feeling bad for the girl, who probably couldn't hear what Mathias was saying about her. It was times like these that showed off the fact Mathias, being the popular one [he spent half of his time with them and the other half with the tools and bitches that made up the preppy clique in their grade] in the group, was also the rudest. Matthew blamed the clique, but he knew Mathias had always been that douchey.

"Thank you," Mathias replied airily. "But not gonna lie though, she's got a cute ass," he added, and Svea face-palmed.

"She does," Lars agreed. "Nice pair of tits too," he added.

"Firm," Mathias remarked.

"Supple," Matthew agreed and the three of them snickered.

"This is what happens when you don't get laid in a long time," Tino remarked to Ivan.

"Maybe if they didn't objectify women, they would have more girls willing to voluntarily spend time with them," Ivan said drily.

"Please. Like you've never checked out a girl out before," Matthew protested.

"Do you _want_ me to describe your sister's body in detail?" Ivan asked. Lars and Mathias exchanged a gleeful look, smirking.

"Only if you want to hear about Nat's," Matthew countered. Mathias' and Lars' mouths dropped in unison as Matthew and Ivan glared at each other for a few moments. They both smirked, both chuckling at the other's nerve.

"Matthew's the only person who can actually say that to Ivan and survive," Mathias said in awe.

"That's because Matt's the only one who can beat Ivan up," Tino said, nudging Ivan teasingly.

"Oh, I can't beat him up," Matthew protested weakly. Ivan was a beast.

"You can," Ivan said, nodding seriously. "I'm not as 'unstoppable' as you think."

Before Matthew could reply, they were interrupted by applause.

"Is it time?" Tino asked curiously.

"I think," Matthew replied.

The principal took the stage and smiled warmly at the graduates. "I'll be brief, since some of you are losing patience," she said, giving the group of them a look. Mathias waved at her cheekily and the rest of them face-palmed. "But let me just say, it was an honour being your principal for these past few years. Some of you I got to know very well—" at this point she gave Mathias another pointed look – "—and some of you not at all, but all of you are important to me. I know all of you will go far in life. Keep the people you love close to you and surround yourself with optimism and happiness. You are now entering a new chapter of your life, and you'll find that you'll really them. Work hard and never stop living for yourself. I wish you the very best in this next chapter," the principal continued.

"It's time," Lars murmured.

"Now graduates, I think you know what time it is," the principal said knowingly. Matthew and his friends exchanged a look as music began to play. "Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the graduating class of twenty-twelve!" the principal exclaimed.

All of the graduates began to scream and shout for joy, taking their graduation caps off and throwing them in the air. Matthew and his friends pulled together for a group hug, all of them laughing and cheering. Matthew fucking _loved_ these people; he never wanted to lose them.

Eventually, the crowd began to disperse and the students went to join their families.

"Party at my house, okay?" Mathias asked as people passed them.

"Whoa, this is the first party _not_ at Matthew's house," Lars remarked in awe.

"The second's going to be Matthew birthday," Tino added cheerfully. "Party at my house on June thirtieth 'til midnight. I want to be the first person to give him birthday beats," he joked.

"Guys, you don't have to do that," Matthew said as they walked off of the stage, sounding embarrassed.

"You did the same for all of us," Tino pointed out. "Besides, it'll just be the six of us plus Eva and Elise and whoever else you want to come so it won't be too crazy," he reassured.

"It'll be live, I promise," Mathias said, clapping Matthew on the back [sending Matthew flying forwards] as he walked over to his waiting parents.

"I'll see you at the party," Tino said cheerfully, already walking away. Ivan, Svea and Lars had already left to join their families. Matthew turned to locate his family and spotted them immediately, which was no big deal, considering they were large enough to take up an entire row.

"Matthew, sweetie," Victoria exclaimed, pulling her son into her arms when he reached them. Matthew took a deep breath in and hugged her back. It had been a while since he had last smelled his mother's perfume. He felt a wave of nostalgia. It was like he was fourteen all over again. Had it really been four years? "I'm so proud of you," she said whilst tearing up.

"You've grown up so much," Albert agreed, looking quite choked up himself. Matthew had never been particularly close with his father, so seeing Albert this way surprised Matthew quite a bit.

"Our babies are growing up," Victoria said with a sniff. "We need more babies, Al," she said with a fresh sob, clutching onto Matthew tightly. Matthew awkward patted his mother's head, exchanging a rather horrified look with Jack and Riley, who both smirked at him in response.

"Dear God, mother, don't you even _dare_ think about having another baby," Elizabeth exclaimed in horror with Peter in her arms, the baby gleefully pulling painfully at her hair.

"For once, I actually agree with Iggy," James remarked. Elizabeth rolled her eyes as Alyssa let out a squeal at the oldest Kirkland child using her nickname. "But congratulations, Mattie; you're now a Kirkland man," he said affectionately, patting Matthew on the head, even though there wasn't much of a height difference. Matthew had never really ever talked to James before, and he really did not appreciate the patronizing head patting.

"Men don't get their heads pet," Matthew told James. In the background he could see Elizabeth's eyes widen in horror and grab a shocked Marianne's hand. The twins and Noah all looked impressed and Alyssa exchanged a look of surprise with Jack and Riley. Ruby just looked scared. With the exception of Elizabeth, it was an unspoken rule that no one _ever_ talked back to James; you just put up with his teasing. He was the oldest and the most likely to kill you and make you a trophy, after all.

James let out a roar of laughter, pulling Matthew into a one-armed hug. "Kid's got balls!" he told everyone in amusement, and Matthew rolled his eyes as everyone let out a sigh of relief.

"He's like a younger you," Daniel joked.

"God help us all," Elizabeth moaned, face-palming.

"You're just jealous he isn't' more like you," James teased.

"Actually, Matt's more like Iggy, only less anal," Alyssa piped up. Elizabeth beamed.

"Ha and ha," she said smugly.

"I was always thought Mathieu was a lot like me," Marianne remarked. Everyone turned to stare at her.

"You aren't even part of this family," Noah pointed out.

Marianne shrugged. "I am, in a way," she said coyly, leaning to kiss Elizabeth's cheek. Elizabeth coloured up in embarrassment as everyone laughed.

The family eventually left the graduation ceremony and got into three cars, driving to the Kirkland manor to drop off their things and get changed to privately celebrate Matthew graduating at a fancy restaurant. Rather than letting Matthew go with their mother and younger siblings, Sean grabbed Matthew and dragged him into James' car with Daniel and Noah. For the first time ever, Matthew could talk to them like an equal, without feeling like an awkward teenager. Maybe he _was_ an adult now. He actually felt like his older brothers acknowledged him for once.

In the Kirkland family, if you weren't James, Daniel, Sean, Noah or Elizabeth, you didn't stand out; the younger Kirklands all seemed to have 'middle child syndrome'. They all had to figure out ways to make themselves stand out and be noticed. Riley stood out using androgyny, Alyssa was loud, Jack's obsession with animals and the fact he was good with his hands brought attention to him, Ruby had been the baby of the family before Peter came along, and even afterwards, Ruby was still treated like she was. Peter was the youngest; there was no way you could forget Peter when he was screaming and crying as loud as he can at odd hours in the night. And then there was Matthew.

Matthew, back when he still lived with the rest of his family, had been none of those things. He was quiet, passive and preferred to hole himself up in his bedroom so he could read in peace and quiet. High school was what brought him out of his shell. It was weird being noticed by the very people he assumed barely knew of his existence. It was also weird finding out how much in common the brothers had, and how similar James, Daniel, Sean and Noah were to people Matthew knew. James was like Mathias, Noah was like Svea, and Sean and Daniel were like Lars and Gilbert – only less obnoxious.

Speaking of Gilbert...Matthew shook the thoughts out of his head, getting out of the car and following his brothers into the restaurant, where the rest of his family was waiting [he opted to sit with Alyssa, Elizabeth and Marianne; while hanging out with his older brothers was awesome, he still considered Alyssa and Elizabeth his closest siblings]. Ever since prom, Matthew had been replaying their dance over and over again. It had been so awkward – Matthew wanted to redo the dance somehow and make it less awkward...but...that would mean dancing with Gilbert again. Why did that appeal to Matthew so much? He was straight; Matthew had never found any guy attractive before. What was going on with him?

Once dinner was over, Matthew and Alyssa had to leave their family to go to Mathias' party. Matthew borrowed Elizabeth's car [she and Marianne would be dropped off by Victoria and Albert] and drove to Mathias' house, arriving a half hour before everyone else. Matthew liked to go early to parties; it gave him time to find a good place to sit and chill, as well as eat all the good food before pigs like Mathias and Alyssa showed up. He parked in Mathias' garage, as per their agreement. The duo had agreed that at any house party either threw, they had permission to store their car in the garage and just sleep there rather than go home. Alyssa was planning on going home with Ivan [Matthew really did not want to know what the couple planned on doing afterwards] and Lars was going to crash in Mathias' basement with Matthew.

"Are you ready to have some _fun_?" Mathias roared as people arrived in groups, turning up the music.

They partied well into the night, going far past midnight. Majority of the grade 12s and 11s were there, most people hyped up on either pop or alcohol.

"I love drunk people," Lars remarked randomly, reaching over to snatch his sister's can of beer. "No drinking," he scolded her.

"You're not the boss of me," Elise shot at him.

"But I'm an adult," Lars reminded her. Elise rolled her eyes, opting to drink a can of sprite instead.

"Is that the valedictorian?" Tino asked suddenly, eyes widening as he stared at the dance-floor.

"Yes," Svea replied, calmly taking a sip from her glass.

"Is she grinding...?" Tino asked hesitantly.

"Yes," Svea replied, rolling her eyes.

"Is who grinding what—oh my Jesus," Lars said, eyes going wider than humanly possible.

"He goes for anything that _moves_," Matthew said in awe.

"What happened to Erik?" Elise demanded.

"I doubt Erik cares," Matthew remarked.

"No, Erik's actually crying a corner now," Lars replied.

"He's traumatized," Elise agreed.

"Horrified," Lars added.

"He's weeping away his angst and sadness," Elise continued.

"But it's not working because he feels even sadder," Lars added.

"His love does not love him anymore," Elise proclaimed dramatically.

"He left him for a pimply nerdy girl with supple breasts," Lars continued.

"Oh, how Erik wishes he had pimples and supple breasts!" Elise exclaimed.

"...what is actually wrong with you two?" Matthew asked, giving them a look.

"You can tell that they're related," Tino remarked, shaking his head, cheeks still pink from laughing.

"Erik would kill you if he ever heard you say that," Matthew informed them.

"Yeah, but Erik didn't hear, so what he doesn't know won't hurt him," Lars replied.

"I heard," a cool voice said from behind them, making all five of them freeze up in horror. Erik walked by them silently, nodding politely at Svea and Tino, who awkwardly waved at him.

There was a silence.

"I really hate you two," Matthew told Lars and Elise, and Tino and Svea chimed in with their agreement.

The party continued on well until sunrise. Everyone finally began to leave, all of them hailing cabs or getting rides with their sober friends. Tino and Svea bid adieu to their friends and walked home. Elise got a ride home from a friend. Nobody had seen Alyssa and Ivan since Ivan's arrival at the party, and no one really wanted to go looking for them.

Matthew, Lars and Mathias collapsed on Mathias' bed once everyone had left, exhausted.

"Get off; this is my bed, go sleep in the basement," Mathias slurred, lazily trying to push Matthew off the bed.

"Noooo," Matthew groaned, letting out a hiccup. Maybe that drinking game against Stefan hadn't been the smartest idea.

"Both of you shut the fuck up," Lars grumbled.

"My bed," Mathias complained, rolling over and wrapping his arms around Matthew, as though Matthew were some sort of body pillow.

"Noooo," Matthew complained, slapping Mathias' face lazily. Mathias already asleep, snoring lightly into Matthew's shoulder.

"Shuuuuuut uuuuuupppp," Lars grumbled, his voice muffled by the pillow.

"Noooo," Matthew groaned.

"Heyy, Mattie?" Lars asked suddenly.

"Mmmm?" Matthew answered.

"We're gonna keep talking even while at different universities, right?" Lars asked.

"Yeah man, always," Matthew slurred.

"Okay, good," Lars replied.

And they both promptly fell asleep.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Holy crap, that was a really long chapter! That shit was _21 _pages on MS Word. Sorry for subjecting you to all of this ;A; **

**There isn't really much to say about this chapter. But I'd imagine my graduation happening the same way. My friends and I are a little too loud for our own good. **

**Anyways, there's only one more chapter in this story! Can you believe it? Hopefully I post it soon, though then again, I have a really shitty memory xD **

**Also, I will not be writing a character list next chapter. It's the final chapter guys - pretty much anyone who is a main character was in this chapter so I kind of hope you know their names by now xD **

**Review~?**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen:

"Happy almost birthday," Tino said to Matthew, handing him a beer. Matthew grinned, accepting the can and opening it. There was nothing better than the sound of a can of beer being opened, in Matthew's opinion. Well, there were other things, but Matthew was too lazy to correct himself.

"Thanks," he said, taking a sip. He, Tino, Lars and Ivan were lounging in Tino's basement, the TV showing the menu for the shitty movie they had voted on watching. The group had agreed on watching a shitty movie marathon while counting down the hours to Matthew's birthday. It was lunch time on Saturday, June 30th, and the gang was prepared to kill their brains with bad writing, alcohol, and suspicious substances supplied by Lars. Mathias had gone to pick up Alyssa, Eva and Elise, who had gone to buy food to eat. Svea was coming in an hour or so after her shift at work. Gilbert was somewhere on the road; he had been up north visiting Elizaveta's family and had reassured them all that he'd make it in time somehow. All of Matthew's friends were going to be there; this was already shaping up to be an epic party.

"We should've done this in Quebec," Lars remarked. "It's legal there."

"Fuck the law," a voice announced from the basement's stairs. The boys turned to see Mathias appear rather dramatically, Alyssa, Elise, Eva and Natalia following behind him. Natalia smiled at Matthew, looking rather awkward. It was cute.

"Fuck the police!" Alyssa cheered, sauntering over to Ivan, throwing her arms around him. Ivan rolled his eyes.

"My girlfriend, the badass," Ivan said drily and Matthew laughed. Alyssa glared at them and pouted, punching Ivan's shoulder. "Was that supposed to hurt?" he asked her curiously. Lars laughed, but Matthew had a feeling Ivan was just bullshitting; Alyssa was actually incredibly strong. Her punches _hurt_.

"Hey, I brought Nat over. Is that alright?" Elise asked curiously, hugging Matthew and handing her present to Tino, who put it on the official gift table.

"Yeah, of course. Nat's always welcome; she's a friend too," Matthew replied, grinning at Natalia. "And are you two-" he began curiously.

"Not yet. I haven't even said anything about that yet. I'm going to wait a little longer, when I have more confidence," Elise said quickly. If Natalia was confused, she didn't show it, already in a conversation with her brother.

"You guys would make the cutest couple ever, not even lying," Matthew informed Elise as she sunk down into the couch next to him. Elise flushed.

"You're just saying that because you like girl on girl," Elise accused. Matthew gasped in mock-surprise.

"I'm astonished that you think so little of me, Elise," he said with a sniff. Elise rolled her eyes, grinning.

"When's Svea getting here?" Lars asked Tino curiously, moving into a lying position on the other couch. Mathias gave him a look and flopped onto said couch, looking triumphantly as Lars let out a howl from underneath.

"She's coming in an hour," Tino replied, pressing play on the TV. He tossed the remote onto the coffee table and joined Mathias in sitting on Lars.

"I fucking hate you guys," Lars' muffled voice said, but no one really paid him any attention.

"And Gilbert?" Matthew asked.

"He texted me; there's a shitload of traffic, so he should be here by like, two or something," Mathias replied, looking up from his phone.

"Is this Mean Girls 2?" Eva asked curiously, redirecting the attention back to the TV. She reached over to the pizza box on the coffee table and took out a slice, biting into it eagerly.

"Yes. I had to buy it at Wal-Mart for five bucks," Alyssa replied gleefully. "I hope it's as shitty as it sounds, or else it would've been a waste of money," she added.

"God forbid," Tino said drily, putting up the volume on the movie.

"Why do movies always try to make the female protagonist seem 'edgy' and off-beat?" Natalia asked curiously, as the main character was introduced.

"Because apparently girls aren't considered awesome unless they defy all rules of societal femininity," Eva replied with a scoff.

"...what?" Elise asked in confusion.

"Hipster bitches over preppy ones," Alyssa informed her.

"Oh," Elise said, still looking confused.

They fell silent finally, occasionally making the sarcastic comment at how terrible the movie's plotline was.

Svea joined them not too long afterwards, hugging Matthew quickly and dropping her present on the gift table [his friends really shouldn't have bought him this much, he had such awesome friends] before snuggling into the couch beside Tino, reaching around her boyfriend to flick Mathias on the ear lazily. Mathias opened his mouth to let out a retort but Ivan shushed him before he could even say anything. Ivan seemed to really enjoy the movie – in a non-ironic sort of way.

As the second movie came to an end, the issue of what movie to watch next came up. After a heated debate which involved Alyssa pelting a couch cushion into Mathias' face and Natalia ducking for cover under the coffee table, the group decided to melt their brains out on a parody movie marathon, starting with the first _Scary Movie_. Matthew found it hilarious how everyone was talking amongst each other yet knew what was going on in the movie, plot-wise. He was really going to miss these people once university started up.

"The Awesome Gilbert has arrived with more booze! Feel free to worship me now," a loud, booming voice came from the staircase. Matthew turned in his seat in time to see Gilbert strike a dramatic, majestic pose, raising his crate of beer in the air.

"You are _god_send, bro," Mathias said in awe, standing up in almost trance-like state. Elise rolled her eyes.

"Just because you didn't like what we got -"

"You are my personal God," Mathias breathed out to Gilbert, taking a bottle out and taking a long swig from it. Gilbert beamed in response, puffing his chest out as he sauntered to the coffee table and dumped the crate on it.

"Happy earlyish birthday, man," Gilbert said, tossing his present to the pile and flopping down next to Matthew to put an arm around him roughly and teasingly ruffle his hair. Matthew scowled, his cheeks burning as he shoved Gilbert playfully.

"Fuck you," he said, grinning as he got his hair back in its place. He was surprisingly quite anal when it came to his hair [but of course not as anal as Lars, who spent an hour gelling his hair up to perfection].

"Aww, you guys are so _cute_!" Elise teased.

"Very adorable," Natalia agreed, giggling as Matthew gaped at her in mock-horror.

"You aren't supposed to say that!" he protested in embarrassment as everyone else laughed at him.

"You know two people are meant for each other when even their exes agree they look cute together..." Mathias said teasingly, ducking as Matthew lobbed a cushion at him.

"Dude, you two should totally hook up. Gilbert would make the best bro-in-law ever," Alyssa said eagerly, bouncing up and down in her seat. Beside her Ivan face-palmed. Matthew scowled.

Before he could reply, there was a shrill screaming from the TV set. Everyone's attention turned back to the movie and Matthew's opportunity to retort was lost. He leaned back into the couch, vaguely aware of Gilbert's arm still around his shoulder. It didn't seem like he was going to be letting go any time soon.

Matthew squirmed a little. Why did he enjoy having Gilbert's arm around him so much? Why did it make his heart race whenever Gilbert got near him?

It was time to start facing the music. Matthew definitely had a crush on Gilbert. If the constant heart racing and the butterflies in his stomach didn't explain it, the dreams definitely did. Matthew's dreams had gone from being purely sexual to more domestic and loving. Dreams of going on dates, holding hands with him, kissing him on the lips gently as they cuddled in front of the TV watching sitcoms...Matthew even found himself daydreaming about various scenarios with Gilbert. This was the strongest crush Matthew had ever had – almost as strong as what he had thought he felt for Natalia.

But there was just one thing; Matthew wasn't gay. He wasn't a homosexual – or bisexual either. Guys just didn't appeal to Matthew. Gilbert was the only guy he had ever found attractive. Was it even possible to fall for someone of the same gender, despite it being his normal preference? Matthew snuck a glance at Gilbert. What would Gilbert even say if he found out? It'd probably be really awkward; he was almost eighteen and Gilbert was almost twenty-four. That was at least a six year difference. With Matthew's luck, Gilbert probably viewed him as the little brother he had never had. Matthew swallowed thickly at the thought and turned back to watching the movie, lost in his own world. He was still very aware of Gilbert's arm around his shoulders.

After the movie had ended, Svea and Alyssa got to work trying to get the next movie on.

"Where's the second movie?" Alyssa asked, looking around.

"I don't have a copy; Mathias rented one," Tino said, shrugging.

"Mathias..." Svea said, shooting him a look. Mathias' eyes widened and he put his hands out defensively.

"I didn't do anything, okay? I left it right there; just keep looking for it," Mathias said. Svea rolled her eyes and together she and Alyssa bent down, searching the ground for the CD. Mathias smirked, pulling out a DVD case from under his shirt. "You're welcome," he whispered to Tino and Ivan. Matthew and Lars exchanged amused [yet slightly horrified] glances as Tino's cheeks turned red and Ivan chuckled, shaking his head at Mathias. Gilbert was too busy texting to reply and the remaining girls shot Mathias a glare.

"Mathias has the DVD," Eva said in a bored voice, twirling a strand of her hair absently. Svea stood up straight and whipped around to glare at Mathias, catching him before he could stuff the DVD back up his shirt.

"Idiot," she commented, swiping the DVD away and tossing it to Alyssa.

"Hey, since the pizza's pretty much done and we're all still starving, want me and Natalia to make something?" Elise asked. Elise was a good cook; almost as good as Matthew and Marianne [though she made some pretty badass waffles]. Matthew had a feeling Elise just wanted to spend some alone time with Natalia and smirked at her.

"Gee, I wonder why," Lars said flatly, grinning as well. Matthew supposed Elise had come out to her brother like she promised. Elise's cheeks burned and she shot them both a glare.

"That'd be awesome; I'm actually so fucking hungry," Gilbert said, looking up from his phone. "Considering some _assholes_ decided to eat all the pizza before I even showed up," he added to no one in particular.

"Bro, it's your own fault for showing up late," Mathias said, absently poking Tino in an attempt to annoy him. Tino smacked his arm, scowling.

"There was _traffic_!" Gilbert protested.

"I've come to learn that in these situations, that argument doesn't work," Ivan pointed out and Gilbert pouted.

"Anyways, 'Lise there's a mini kitchen behind us to the right; feel free to raid the fridge upstairs if you need more stuff," Tino said to Elise. When he saw Mathias brighten up he quickly added, "That doesn't include you."

Mathias made a face. "Rude," he grumbled, trying to lie down on top of Tino on the couch. Tino rolled his eyes, shoving the taller boy off the couch. Everyone laughed at Mathias' shocked expression as he tried to figure out how he had miraculously landed on the ground.

"Hey, where's Hanatamago?" Eva asked curiously, looking around.

"Upstairs, probably," Tino said with a shrug. Eva stood up.

"I'm going to find him," she declared and disappeared upstairs.

"Hanatamago? So you _did_ end up buying one of Kiku's puppies?" Alyssa asked curiously.

"Nah; Svea got me him for my birthday," Tino answered, leaning forwards to kiss Svea on the forehead lovingly. "Pochi has the cutest puppies ever," Tino gushed.

"Hana and Kuma should have a play date, since they're like brother and sister," Matthew remarked.

"Can Miffy come? She needs some more friends," Lars asked.

"Miffy's a bunny," Tino reminded him. Lars looked offended.

"Are you implying bunnies and puppies can't be friends? I have a dream, bro, that one day intolerant people like you don't exist so bunnies and puppies can have an epic bromance without prejudice!" Lars fumed.

"Can birds be part of this dream? Gilbird's been bugging me about wanting to get out of his cage and chill with some other animals other than Louise's monster dogs," Gilbert asked.

"All animals are allowed," Lars declared. "Except cats. Fucking hate cats; they're like evil with fucking whiskers," he added, making a face.

"Agreed," Gilbert said and the two high-fived.

"...you guys are actually such women," Alyssa said, shaking her head at them. "Seriously, even _we_ don't spazz about animals as much as you guys do."

"You make that sound like an insult," Lars scoffed.

"We would make _fabulous_ women," Gilbert added with a pretend hair flip.

"Who's your boyfriend?" Alyssa teased.

"Obviously Matthew. He's my sexy Canadian knight in shining armour," Gilbert replied, making Matthew flush.

"Hot," Elise called out from the kitchen nearby. "Who tops?"

"I obviously do," Matthew said quickly before Gilbert could open his mouth.

Gilbert looked surprised, bursting into laughter. "That's how I like my boyfriend. Assertive," he replied and everyone joined in on his laughter.

Svea and Alyssa eventually got the movie running and Eva came back with Hanatamgo [much to the delight of the boys, who fawned over her cuteness while the girls watched with amusement]. Elise and Natalia continued to make food as the movie began. Gilbert shifted unconsciously closer to Matthew, so that their legs were touching and made Matthew's cheeks burned. He was so tempted to lean in and put his arms around Gilbert and let him rest his head on Matthew's shoulders. But that would be weird. Besides, there was the strongest chance that Gilbert didn't like Matthew like that.

"Hey," Gilbert murmured quietly, nudging Matthew. "You okay? You're face is really red."

Matthew turned to Gilbert [oh God his face was so close by oh God oh God Gilbert had such pretty red eyes and man did he want to just lean in a little closer and kiss him]. "Nah I'm alright," he said quickly, turning away.

"Alright," Gilbert didn't sound convinced.

Matthew wondered if Gilbert could ever find him attractive; after all, Gilbert _was_ bisexual, though his last few relationships had been with girls. What did Gilbert even like in a guy? Why didn't they ever talk about this? All Matthew knew was what he liked in women; they should've discussed men too – that was an important question! To Matthew, at least.

The hours breezed by as they continued watching more and more movies. Matthew's eyes were beginning to get sore from staring at the TV screen for so long.

"Okay, no more movies – I can't take it anymore!" Mathias declared dramatically, covering his face. The others made groans of agreement and Ivan reached over to grab the remote and turn the TV off.

"What time is it?" Tino asked, stifling a yawn.

"Uh, like six or something," Alyssa replied, rubbing at her eyes and standing up to stretch.

"No way. It honestly can't be six," Lars said, looking horrified.

"It isn't. It's nine," Natalia spoke up, holding her phone in the air.

"Oh. Felt like six though," Alyssa said with a shrug, falling back to the couch to snuggle up to Ivan, who rolled his eyes at her.

"So there's like three hours 'til your birthday, eh Matt? How does it feel?" Elise asked him, grinning.

Matthew shrugged [thankfully by then Gilbert had let go of Matthew], using this as opportunity to stretch his arms. "Feels normal," he admitted. And it was true; Matthew didn't feel particularly adult-like.

Elise pouted. "That doesn't sound like fun," she remarked, sounding disappointed.

"Yeah, being an adult isn't as exciting as you'd think it would be," Lars remarked, stretching his arms out.

"Yeah, because you're totally an adult," Eva deadpanned. Lars gave her a look.

"Says the youngest person here," he shot at her.

"Oh look, they're flirting; isn't that cute?" Mathias gushed mockingly, dodging as Lars tried to swipe at him.

"Aren't you a genius?" Eva said sarcastically as everyone around her laughed.

After a half hour or so of just conversation between the group, Tino suggested they play a game to kill more time [and not kill their eyes with more TV].

"Why don't we just start hardcore partying?" Mathias complained as the other boy unearthed an old box of Monopoly.

"You're only saying that because you always lose at this game," Tino replied, setting the board down on the coffee table.

"Am not!" Mathias protested.

"Sore loser," Svea said, pushing him away so she could sit down by the table.

The game lasted for about an hour or so before Mathias and Lars got bored and started cheating their way through the game.

"You know, it is really pathetic to see you stoop to such desperate measures just so you can win a board game," Ivan remarked as Tino reprimanded Mathias yet again for trying to cheat.

"It's really pathetic to see your face," Mathias shot back rather lamely.

"Oh, I am so offended," Ivan said flatly. "I think I am going to go to my girlfriend and cry. Too bad you can't do that, since the object of your affections won't even get near you," he added.

"Oh dry," Gilbert crowed as Mathias' jaw dropped in shock.

"I'm proud of you Ivan; didn't think you had it in you," Matthew said, clapping Ivan's back as Mathias' face turned redder.

"My brother was never this good at comebacks," Natalia remarked in surprise. Matthew silently agreed; the time he spent dating Natalia taught him that she was the one with the sharpest tongue in their family. It was pretty hilarious watching Ivan wither under her words.

"I taught him everything he knows," Alyssa bragged.

"Don't boost yourself," Ivan told her and she pouted as everyone laughed.

The game came to a rather dull end as everyone began too preoccupied with their own separate conversations to care who was even winning.

"What time is it _now_? I want to start partying!" Mathias groaned, leaning pathetically on Lars.

"We can't start partying until it's midnight," Elise pointed out.

"It's almost eleven," Gilbert replied, glancing at his phone quickly.

There was a moment's silence as the information was taken in.

"Jesus, we need more booze," Lars swore, rising clumsily to his feet.

"I got my keys," Mathias added.

"We need more food," Ivan added.

"But we made food!" Elise exclaimed.

"And we ate it all," Ivan replied, nodding at the empty pots and pans.

"I'll drive," Tino said, already bolting upstairs for his keys.

"Girls, I think our cake order is ready," Alyssa said suddenly, standing up.

"Wait, we didn't pick up the cake?" Eva asked in surprise.

"I swear we did!" Elise exclaimed.

"No, Alyssa insisted that we get it at the last minute so Mathias would not eat it all," Natalia piped up.

"Really?" Elise asked Alyssa accusingly.

Alyssa raised her hands up in surrendering. "What? It was a precaution! You know how he gets around food!" she protested.

"You're the exact same," Natalia pointed out. Alyssa pouted.

"I'll get it," Svea offered, rolling her eyes at the younger girls and pulling out her keys from her bag.

"Can I come?" Alyssa, Elise and Eva asked eagerly in unison.

"I-I would like to come too...if it's not any trouble," Natalia added awkwardly. Svea grinned.

"C'mon," she said, standing up, leading the girls up and out of the basement.

"...and then there were two," Gilbert remarked, poking Matthew. They were suddenly alone in Tino's basement, everyone else off getting whatever they needed for Matthew's party.

"Way to ditch the birthday boy an hour before his birthday," he remarked. Gilbert laughed.

"Yeah," he agreed.

They fell into an easy silence, with Gilbert texting one of his university buddies on his phone and Matthew standing up to clear all the garbage they all had made so far. He didn't want Tino stuck cleaning it all by himself the next day, and he knew they were going to make an even bigger mess once they all started to party. He bent over to pick up a stray plate from under the couch. How did it even get there? Sometimes his friends were too messy for their own good.

"What university are you going to again?" Gilbert asked. Matthew stood up straight and turned around in time to see Gilbert's eyes flicker up to his face. Had Gilbert been...staring at his ass? Matthew shook the thought out of his head.

"Uh, same as yours. University of Toronto," Matthew replied, returning to his cleaning. With his arms full of garbage, Matthew walked over to the garbage bag in the little kitchen nearby and dumped it all inside, brushing his arms lightly to get any garbage off of him.

"Awesome!" Gilbert cheered as Matthew went to wash his hands. "I'm going to introduce you to all my friends and we're going to party hard, bro," he called out from his spot on the couch.

"Of course," Matthew said with a chuckle, drying his hands off with a paper towel and throwing it into the garbage bag as he passed it on his way out.

"No man, I'm serious; I'm taking you out partying," Gilbert insisted. Matthew flopped onto the couch across from Gilbert.

"Yeah, okay," Matthew said with a grin, moving into a lying position on the couch. He stared at the ceiling and could hear the telltale sounds of Gilbert texting again.

They fell into another easy silence; the only sound around them was the clicking from Gilbert's texting. Matthew's eyelids fluttered as he fought to stay awake. It'd totally suck if he dozed off and slept the first few minutes of adulthood. Hopefully the guys would be back with more booze soon.

Matthew snuck a glance over at Gilbert. The older boy had a concentrated look on his face as he typed furiously on his phone. Did he always stick his tongue out when he texted? Matthew grinned; it was pretty cute. He was half tempted to call Gilbert out on it, before realizing that he would be caught staring if he did.

_You should tell him,_ a voice said in his mind.

Matthew swallowed thickly; turning back to face the ceiling again. He wasn't quite sure if he was ready to tell Gilbert about his crush.

_You're only hurting yourself by not telling him_, the voice [which was starting to sound more and more like Marianne's voice] reminded him.

The voice was right; Matthew was going crazy on the inside just by sitting near Gilbert. Holding in all his emotions was definitely not healthy.

_What if he gets a girlfriend? Or a boyfriend? Where will that leave you? _

Matthew grimaced at the thought of Gilbert with his arm slung around some random faceless girl or boy, smiling happily as he leaned into kiss them. It would be seriously awkward being around Gilbert if that ever happened. Not to mention, it'd really hurt seeing Gilbert with someone else and knowing that that person wasn't Matthew.

_Assertiveness was never really your thing, but if you really like Gilbert you need to tell him!_

But what if Gilbert didn't like Matthew that way?

_But what if he did?_

But what if he didn't?

_You really need to work on being more of an optimist instead of being a pessimist like your sister. Entertain the thought of the possibility that Gilbert might return your feelings. And even if he doesn't – the least that could happen is that you awkwardly laugh it off and stay friends. You aren't the type of guy to mope over rejection; I know you can do it!_

But it was such a scary thought; Matthew had never told any of his crushes how he felt about them. He had only been in one relationship and Natalia had been the one who started it. How do you even tell a person you like them? Matthew was clueless.

_Just follow your heart, Mathieu. Tell Gilbert exactly how you feel and in no time you will holding hands, kissing and doing the kinky things you like to dream about~!_

"Shut up, Marianne," Matthew muttered under his breath, his cheeks burning up at that thought.

"What?" Gilbert asked, looking up from his phone.

"N-nothing!" Matthew stammered, mortified.

"Are you okay? You look kind of flushed or something," Gilbert asked, sounding concerned.

"I'm fine," Matthew said, pulling himself up into a sitting position.

"Are you sure? You've looked kind of sick these past few months – like whenever I come to visit your face is always red and you look like you're going to be sick," Gilbert commented.

"I'm fine, it's just that—" Matthew stopped talking. Was this it? Was this the moment he'd have to tell Gilbert how he felt?

"That what?" Gilbert asked.

"Nothing," Matthew said, chickening out. He could hear Marianne berating him in his head, threatening to find imaginary Elizabeth so she could scold him too for being such a pussy. Matthew mentally shook them out of his thoughts.

"Tell me," Gilbert said, eyes narrowing suspiciously. Matthew's stomach churned at how Gilbert's red eyes glittered at him.

"It's nothing, seriously," Matthew said weakly.

"Clearly it isn't, since you refuse to tell me anything," Gilbert replied.

"It's seriously nothing," Matthew protested.

"Dude. Just tell me; I'm not going to stop until you do," Gilbert warned.

"It's nothing!" Matthew cried out, cheeks burning. He had to think of a lie – fast!

"Just _tell_ me -"

"IREALLYHAVEABIGCRUSHONYOUOKAY," Matthew blurted out. His eyes widened and he clapped his hands over his mouth in horror.

Gilbert blinked at him, confused. "Wait..." he said slowly, "what?"

"Uh..." Matthew said awkwardly. "I kind of have a...really big crush on you." He stared at his legs pointedly, feeling mortified beyond belief. If this didn't end well, he was going to have some choice words to say to Marianne...

"Oh." Gilbert sounded surprised. "You do? But I thought you were-"

"I am," Matthew said quickly, looking up. "I-it's just you," he added quietly.

"Oh," Gilbert said. "Well, I like you back."

"Yeah, I figured you wouldn't- wait what?" Matthew asked, eyes widening. Gilbert liked him back? As in, he had a crush on him? Marianne crowed in triumph somewhere in his mind, pumping her fist in the air and singing 'I told you so' in French.

"I've liked you for a while now; since August or something," Gilbert said with a casual shrug. August? For _that_ long? That was even before Matthew started dating Natalia! Oh God..._Natalia_...

That must've been why Gilbert always disappeared whenever Natalia and Matthew were together. Matthew would've done the same if Gilbert had been in a relationship.

"B-but _why_?" Matthew asked.

"You're cute. And awesome. And I dunno; do I really need a reason why I like you? I just do – it's as simple as that. But I never really thought you'd like me too." Gilbert laughed awkwardly, rubbing his neck.

Matthew grinned. "So...now what?" he asked, feeling a little awkward.

"I guess...we date and be boyfriends? Or is that too weird for you?" Gilbert asked.

"WE'RE BACK WITH THE BOOZE! AWW YEAH PARTY YEAH IT'S TIME TO RAISE THE ROOF!" howled Mathias as he came down into the basement, Lars following with crates of beer.

"Ready to get really, _really_ drunk?" Lars asked eagerly, raising the crate up above his head.

"We're back with the food!" Tino called out, coming down stairs with bags of food with Ivan.

"The girls are back too," Ivan added, and giggles and high pitched voices could be heard from upstairs.

"There's only a few minutes left until _party time_!" Mathias cheered, pumping his fist into the air. "And your birthday too," he added as an afterthought.

The rest of Matthew's friends filed into the basement, everyone talking and having a good time and the silence that had been there just a few minutes ago had completely disappeared.

Matthew caught Gilbert's eye amongst the chaos, who still looked like he was waiting for Matthew's response.

"That isn't too weird for me," he mouthed out, and smiled when Gilbert did too.

* * *

><p>Matthew opened his eyes wearily, his head throbbing but not too much. It'd definitely been a good idea to not get drunk.<p>

Mathias snored loudly next to him, sprawled out on the bed. Matthew smirked when he noticed Lars at the end of the bed, curled up into a ball. He let out a soft chuckle and gagged at the smell of his breath. He definitely needed to brush his teeth.

Rolling off of the bed, Matthew reached over to the bedside table where Tino had kindly left three new brushes still in their packages for them. Matthew grinned as he grabbed the red one. Tino was the best; he always went out of his way to help his friends out. He even made Svea sleep in his bed and the other girls in the guest rooms while he slept on the upstairs couch with Ivan and Gilbert sleeping on the basement ones.

Matthew emerged from the washroom a few minutes later, his head clearer and feeling significantly fresher. He couldn't believe it was his birthday. He certainly didn't feel much older, nor did he feel like an adult. He felt the same. Maybe it was a feeling that grew with time, he supposed.

Matthew walked over to the staircase, deciding that he'd surprise all of them with a thank you breakfast before going back home to have brunch with the girls.

He was promptly met with Gilbert, who was coming downstairs back into the basement, toothbrush also in his hand.

"O-oh, hey," Matthew said in slight surprise [he honestly had thought he was the only person awake], stepping back a step.

"Hey. Happy birthday," Gilbert said. Matthew nodded.

"Thanks," he replied. There was an awkward silence as they stared at each other, waiting for the other to speak first.

"So...are we...you know...dating?" Gilbert asked finally, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly [and rather adorably, Matthew noted to himself].

"Y-yeah. If you want to be-"

"I do," Gilbert said quickly. Matthew grinned and Gilbert smirked back.

"So...do we hug or something?" Matthew asked awkwardly.

"I guess," Gilbert said with a shrug, opening his arms out. Matthew's cheeks burned as he put his arms around Gilbert awkwardly. He rested his head on Gilbert's shoulders and felt Gilbert rest his on Matthew's chest. The hug wasn't as awkward as he had originally supposed, Matthew thought to himself, as he breathed in Gilbert's scent.

"I really like you, Matt," Gilbert mumbled against Matthew's chest.

"I really like you too," Matthew murmured back.

They lifted their heads at the same time, noses just brushing against one another's. Without even thinking, Matthew leaned in to brush lips against Gilbert's his heart hammering madly. Gilbert's eyes widened slightly in surprise before pressing his lips against Matthew's own harder, opening his mouth to deepen the kiss. Matthew returned it with just as much vigour, running a hand through Gilbert's hair to pull him closer. A hand slid down Matthew's back and rested on his lower back, sending little shivers down his spine.

"Get a room," a bored voice said behind Matthew. He and Gilbert ripped apart in time to see Lars lazily climbing upstairs.

"W-why didn't he say anything about us-"

"Because it was pretty obvious you two wanted to bone each other for a while now," Mathias interrupted, appearing out of nowhere, looking completely hungover. "Even Natalia called it; I owe her and Alyssa money. I didn't think you had the balls to tell each other," he added.

"Fuck off," Matthew said in part embarrassment as Gilbert laughed. Had they _really _been that obvious?

"But congrats you guys," Mathias said, jokingly trying to force the two to kiss again by pushing their heads forward. Matthew swatted the hands away. "You guys, me and Erik should double date," he added.

"You guys aren't even together," Gilbert pointed out.

"We are; Erik just hasn't realized it yet," Mathias replied, climbing up the stairs two at a time. "I'll leave you two lovebirds alone~" he joked, disappearing upstairs before either could reply.

Gilbert rolled his eyes at Mathias before pulling Matthew close to him. They hugged for a few moments, enjoying being in the other's presence.

"I should probably find Al and go home; I promised to spend the day with the girls," Matthew said finally, reluctant to leave his boyfriend [God, did that sound weird].

"Alyssa already left; I told her that we were dating and she said something about wanting to go tell Iggy and Marianne before you did," Gilbert replied.

"Oh no she's not. That's my job," Matthew said, letting go of Gilbert. "I'll see you later?" he asked hopefully.

Gilbert grinned. "Definitely," he said, and Matthew leaned down to kiss Gilbert one last time before bolting upstairs.

* * *

><p>"MATTIE'S HERE!" Matthew heard Alyssa shriek as Matthew came walking into the house, Kumajiro running to greet him. Alyssa bounded into the hallway, throwing her arms around him. "Happy birthday!" she exclaimed. "And congrats," she whispered excitedly with a wink.<p>

Matthew laughed, hugging his little sister tightly. "Did you tell them?" he asked her suspiciously.

Alyssa looked scandalized. "And steal your spotlight? No way!" she exclaimed.

"Happy birthday, Matthew!" Elizabeth said, walking over to them and hugging Matthew.

"Thanks, Liz," he said, hugging her back.

"Marianne's in the washroom...where she's been for the past half hour," Elizabeth said in response to Matthew's unspoken question.

"No I'm not! Je suis ici!" they heard Marianne exclaim dramatically. "Bon anniversaire, Mathieu!" she cried out, striding down the hallway and enveloping Matthew in a bear hug.

"Merci, Marianne," he replied, and smirked as Elizabeth scoffed at their French.

Matthew could see Alyssa giving him a look and cleared his throat.

"Uh...I have something to tell you guys," Matthew said to them.

"What is it?" Elizabeth asked curiously.

"I'm in a new relationship," Matthew said.

"Are you with Natalia again?" Marianne asked in confusion.

"No...I'm with Gilbert," Matthew replied.

There was a silence.

"I told you! I told you Matthew would tell him first!" Elizabeth crowed triumphantly to Marianne.

"You never know; maybe Gilbert told him first," Marianne protested.

"Matthew, who told who first? Was it you or Gilbert?" Elizabeth demanded.

"It was me-"

"Aha! Told you! Pay up!" Elizabeth cheered.

"Wait, did you guys actually make bets on us too?" Matthew cried out, mortified. Was there _anyone_ who was actually surprised that he and Gilbert were together?

"Marianne started it," Elizabeth said childishly with a sniff.

"But of course, the important matter here is that Mathieu is with Gilbert," Marianne said delicately, flipping her hair back.

"Thanks to you," Matthew said. Marianne blinked.

"Quoi?" she asked in confusion.

"Nothing," Matthew said quickly, grinning.

"You know what I just realized?" Alyssa said suddenly. "Mattie's the only dude here. Maybe all of our spazzings about hot guys turned him homo," she joked.

"That doesn't even make sense, Alyssa," Elizabeth pointed out briskly. "I have a girlfriend."

There was a silence.

"Did you just refer to me as your girlfriend?" Marianne demanded.

"Well of course; isn't that what you are?" Elizabeth asked.

"You've never called me that in the few years we've been together!" Marianne exclaimed, pulling Elizabeth in and kissing her deeply. Elizabeth's face turned bright red.

"I just assumed everyone already knew so I never bothered," she sputtered. Alyssa and Matthew exchanged an amused look.

"This is seriously like the best day ever," Alyssa remarked. "The best way to begin my birthday week," she added.

"Birthday week?" Matthew asked flatly. "You mean, _my_ birthday."

"How _do_ you want to spend your birthday, Matthew?" Elizabeth asked suddenly, cheeks still fairly red [Matthew smiled at the sight of her arm around Marianne's waist (Elizabeth was never big on public displays of affection)].

"We should go to the spa," Marianne said quickly.

"And go shopping!" Alyssa exclaimed.

"There's a new rom com in theatres right now that we could go see," Elizabeth added.

"I'm not a girl!" Matthew protested weakly.

"Oh. True," Alyssa acknowledged. "We'll go shopping for...hockey sticks and boy clothes then?" she suggested.

"We'll do whatever you want us to do," Elizabeth said.

"It's your special day, after all," Marianne chimed in.

Matthew smiled, pulling the three of them into a giant hug. "You guys are the best," he said and the girls smiled, hugging him back. It was sometimes insanity being the only boy in a house full of crazy girls...but it was times like these that made Matthew adore living with them.

Besides, that spa idea was starting to sound like a pretty good suggestion.

The End.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: It's over! It's actually finally over! Sorry for taking so long in uploading this, I just got really caught up with school work ;A; Thank you so much for everyone who's favourited, story-alerted and reviewed this story! You guys are amazing~**

**I _had_ originally planned, way back when I still had time for writing stories, a bunch of side stories just in this universe about Matt's group of friends and their lives after high school. Alas, that'll probably never happen, so here's a little epilogueish thing of what happens to each of the characters after high school [warning it's pretty long!]**

Mathias and Erik begin dating a month later. Their relationship is a bit awkward, since Erik isn't one for showing much affection and Mathias is all for flashy displays of affection. They begin their freshman year at the same university, but Mathias finds himself resenting how cold Erik can be sometimes, while exploring the fact that he may indeed be bisexual [Erik is gay]. He makes a ton new friends, including a boy named Feliks, who's in his third year. The two of them surprisingly become good friends.

Erik and Mathias begin to distance and while Erik is perfectly happy with Mathias, Mathias thinks Erik hates him and begins to resent him more and more, until finally breaking off things a few weeks after their five-month anniversary. Erik is devastated, since he really liked Mathias, but never shows it. Mathias believes he made the right choice, since Erik didn't seem like he wanted to reconcile any time soon.

Mathias dates a few people from both genders before beginning a relationship with Feliks, who he has become extremely close to. They date for a few years and feel like they're truly in love. However, when they are both in their mid twenties with jobs, Mathias and Feliks find themselves falling out of love. They decide to mutually break up after six years of being together, but stay close friends afterwards. A few months later Feliks begins tentatively dating a man named Toris and Mathias gives them his complete blessing. He and Toris become fairly good friends - they have that sort of friendship where one teases and harasses the other and they ignore it and make snarky remarks under their breath.

Mathias meets Erik again at a high school reunion and after Erik admits that he had never completely gotten over Mathias and that he had always cared, just didn't know how to show it, they decide to start their relationship up again, though it's Mathias this time who wants to take things slow. This relationship is more successful, and while the two never end up married, they're still together when they're well into their forties.

Gilbert and Matthew continue to date and begin Matthew's freshman year as a couple. They do have a few issues while starting off, since Matthew is not used to being with a boy before. They begin to argue and after a particularly bad argument heatedly decide to break things off. To make the other jealous, Matthew and Gilbert begin to date different women but end up missing each other too much. The two women who they dated, both realizing how much Matt and Gil missed each other, dump the two. Gilbert and Matthew start dating again and while they do argue from time to time, are a lot happier now. They eventually get married.

Ivan and Alyssa have a bit of a long distance relationship since Ivan's going somewhere far off for university. They date for a year or two more before mutually breaking things off. They stay good friends, though, and eventually end up being happily married to different people.

Svea and Tino are the only two of their group to stay together for the duration of their university years without any problems, despite going to two different universities. They are the first to get married, and Svea gives birth to a son, Petri.

Lars and Eva acknowledge the possibility of them becoming a couple over the summer and decide that they will wait until Eva turns eighteen to actually start a relationship. They both date different people during that time. They attempt at a relationship when they are in their twenties, but find they prefer each other's company as friends and split. Eva ends up married to another man. Lars never marries; he prefers being a bachelor and badass godfather to his friends' kids.

Elise tells Natalia a few months later how she feels. Natalia does not return her feelings, being heterosexual. They stay close friends, and after a few months of moping over being rejected, Elise meets a new girl who steals her heart. Elise dates many women before finding the right one. Elise, like her brother, is not one for marriage so the two never end up getting married. Natalia finds her future husband at university, though it takes her quite a few years to realize it herself. Elise is her maid of honour, as well as the godmother of her daughter. Likewise, Natalia is godmother of Elise's adopted son.

Oh, and Elizabeth and Marianne? Nothing much happens to them. The two spend their days getting older and placing bets on the love lives of their friends. Elizabeth lands a successful job as a journalist in a well known magazine company and Marianne manages to save enough to start up her own restaurant. When Elizabeth is in her late twenties and Marianne in her early thirties, they get married. They end up adopting a pair of twins, Madeleine and Alfred, and Elizabeth swears they're just like Matthew and Alyssa, though they don't agree with that.

Phew. Honestly guys, how do you deal with all that I write ;A;

**But there you have it! Everyone's lives, after this story. I think it's kind of obvious that Mathias' story was meant to become a sequel of sorts, but I'm afraid I don't have enough time to actually make it into a story D: And I know, I know, some of the characters end up breaking up and marrying other people but...that's life! Most people don't end up with their high school sweethearts.**

Anyways, thank you again for reading this story and being just so amazing \o/

**~Awesome**


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